Localities

Localities are named geographic areas that are recognized as distinct parts of larger administrative units or regions. They can be urban, suburban, or rural and may correspond to villages, neighborhoods, districts, or census-designated places. The term is used differently across countries; in some jurisdictions it denotes a legally defined bounded area with governance implications, while in others it is primarily a statistical or descriptive label.

Boundaries may be defined by government agencies for planning, taxation, postal routing, or electoral representation, or they may be historical or colloquial.

Localities serve as references for residents and authorities, enabling targeted service delivery and data collection.

Usage examples: In Australia, localities are defined geographic areas within states and territories for address and planning purposes, sometimes equivalent to towns but with defined boundaries. In the United States, locality is less formal; it may describe any recognized community or place, while official data are often organized by municipalities, counties, or census-designated places. In the United Kingdom, similar roles are fulfilled by parish, ward, or neighborhood boundaries, though the word locality itself is widely understood.

In geographic information systems, locality data layers help map population distribution, infrastructure, and land-use patterns. Boundaries can evolve due to development, municipal amendments, or reclassification. Terminology varies; some places use locality interchangeably with neighborhood, district, borough, or community.