The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation.

           A consolidated city is a unit of local government for which the functions of an incorporated place and its county or minor civil division (MCD) have
           merged.  This action results in both the primary incorporated place and the county or MCD continuing to exist as legal entities, even though the county
           or MCD performs few or no governmental functions and has few or no elected officials.  Where this occurs, and where one or more other incorporated places
           in the county or MCD continue to function as separate governments, even though they have been included in the consolidated government, the primary
           incorporated place is referred to as a consolidated city.  The Census Bureau classifies the separately incorporated places within the consolidated city
           as place entities and creates a separate place (balance) record for the portion of the consolidated city not within any other place.

           The boundaries of the consolidated cities are those as of January 1of the shapefile release year, as reported through the Census Bureau's Boundary and
           Annexation Survey (BAS).