Virginia and other states with this model, such as Alabama, Maryland, and Tennessee, set strict requirements on incorporation or grant counties broad powers that in other states are carried out by cities, creating a disincentive to incorporate, and thus have large, urbanized areas which have no municipal government below the county level.
Virginia ja teised selle mudeliga osariigid, nagu Alabama, Maryland ja Tennessee, kehtestavad rangeid nõudeid inkorporeerimisele või annavad maakondadele laiaulatuslikke volitusi, mida teistes osariikides saavad linnad, luues antistiimuli inkorporeerimiseks, ja seega on suuri linnastunud alasid, millel pole omavalitsust allpool maakonna tasandit.