There are 10 cities (
Latvian: valstspilsēta, "state city",
pl. valstspilsētas) and 71 towns (
Latvian: novada pilsēta, "municipality town",
pl. novada pilsētas) in
Latvia.
By Latvian law,
towns are settlements that are centers of culture and
commerce with a well-developed architectural infrastructure and street grid, and have at least 2,000 residents. A settlement can still be designated a town if it has fewer residents, but fulfills all other requirements (or has been a historic town).
To become a city, a town must typically have at least 25,000 residents. Additionally, cities should have a well-developed commercial district,
transport,
public utilities, social infrastructure, and be a significant center of culture. However, these requirements may be disregarded if there is sufficient population.[1]
In 2020, an agreement was reached in Latvian parliament,
Saeima, to rename the previous nine "republic" cities with the new title of "state city" (valstspilsēta). It was at this time that a tenth state city,
Ogre (formerly a town), was added to the list.[2]
The 7 largest state cities have their own local governance independent of any municipalities, whereas the smallest 3 (
Jēkabpils,
Ogre and
Valmiera) belong to their wider corresponding municipalities.[3]
There are 10 cities (
Latvian: valstspilsēta, "state city",
pl. valstspilsētas) and 71 towns (
Latvian: novada pilsēta, "municipality town",
pl. novada pilsētas) in
Latvia.
By Latvian law,
towns are settlements that are centers of culture and
commerce with a well-developed architectural infrastructure and street grid, and have at least 2,000 residents. A settlement can still be designated a town if it has fewer residents, but fulfills all other requirements (or has been a historic town).
To become a city, a town must typically have at least 25,000 residents. Additionally, cities should have a well-developed commercial district,
transport,
public utilities, social infrastructure, and be a significant center of culture. However, these requirements may be disregarded if there is sufficient population.[1]
In 2020, an agreement was reached in Latvian parliament,
Saeima, to rename the previous nine "republic" cities with the new title of "state city" (valstspilsēta). It was at this time that a tenth state city,
Ogre (formerly a town), was added to the list.[2]
The 7 largest state cities have their own local governance independent of any municipalities, whereas the smallest 3 (
Jēkabpils,
Ogre and
Valmiera) belong to their wider corresponding municipalities.[3]