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 Within each State, these areas must contain, as nearly as possible, an equal number of inhabitants. The number of CDs in each State may change after each decennial census, and the boundaries may be changed more than once during a decade. See also reapportionment, redistricting.

Congressional township See public land survey system, township (congressional or survey), township and range system.

Conjoint Descriptive of the boundaries for two or more geographic entities or governmental units for which governmental and administrative functions are carried out jointly; descriptive of a boundary shared by two adjacent geographic areas. See also adjacent, consolidated city, consolidated government, consolidation, contiguous, merger.

Consolidated city An incorporated place that has combined its governmental functions with a county or subcounty entity but contains one or more other incorporated places that continue to function as local governments within the consolidated government. See also consolidated government, consolidation, merger.

Consolidated government A governmental unit that comprises two or more legal entities that have joined together to form a common government; for example, a consolidated city-county government. The combined governmental units may or may not occupy the same territory. See also consolidated city, consolidation, merger.

Consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA) A geographic entity defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for use by Federal statistical agencies. An area becomes a CMSA if it meets the requirements to qualify as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA), has a population of 1,000,000 or more, if component parts are recognized as primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSAs), and local opinion favors the designation. Whole counties are components of CMSAs outside of GlossaryG-15