You’ve opened a can of worms lol (idiom for you) Here in England it’s not about the size of the place. A city has a cathedral, a town doesn’t. So you can have a city of 10,000 people but a cathedral, and a town of 500,000 people without one. Just to complicate it further, we have a few towns (such as Brighton) that became a city as a ‘gift’ from the Monarch (I think Queen Elizabeth in this example) Life wasn’t intended to be easy was it!

As others have said, it's quite complicated in the UK, and isn't necessarily related to size. It is objective, though, and a place is either officially a city or not. Large towns are usually pushing to get city status, and new cities are made occasionally. Eight new ones were created in 2022 as part of the queen's platinum jubilee celebrations, for example. There's even a strange case of a city losing its status due to an admin error. This is from a 2002 BBC article :) The cathedral city of Rochester has lost its city status after eight centuries because of an apparent oversight. The one-time Kent city - a favourite of Charles Dickens - has now lost that coveted status. The alteration in status occurred because of an administrative error four years ago, but did not come to light until earlier this month. The slip-up was discovered by the City of Rochester Society, which found that it was missing from the Lord Chancellor's list of UK cities. The change actually happened four years ago when Medway became a unitary authority. The old Rochester-upon-Medway City Council was asked if it wanted to employ charter trustees, who would protect the city's status. That was deemed unnecessary, resulting in the loss of status. Mayor Ted Baker, whose first day in the post was Thursday, said he was horrified. "It's like saying the City of London isn't a city anymore. "Rochester received city status in 1211. A city is a city." Now the only way for Rochester to regain its status is for the Queen to grant the honour. New cities were created over the millennium and for the Queen's Jubilee. City of Rochester Society members have written to the council to ask it to write to the Queen to restore Rochester's status.

The difference between a big town and a city depends on official classification, population, and development. Key Differences: 1. Official Status: - A city is usually designated by law or government based on population size and administrative importance. - A big town is still classified as a town, even if it has a large population. 2. Population & Size: - A city generally has a larger population than a town. However, some small cities can have fewer people than big towns. - A big town may be close in size to a small city but lacks the official status of a city. 3. Development & Urbanization: - Cities tend to have more developed infrastructure, such as universities, major hospitals, and government offices. - Big towns may have urban characteristics but still lack the economic or political significance of a city. Example: - A town with 80,000 people could be called a big town but might not be officially recognized as a city. - A city with 50,000 people might be considered a city because it has a cathedral, a mayor, or special legal status. Tip: If you're unsure whether a place is a town or a city, check its official designation rather than just its size!

It substantially depends on context. Different countries/regions/sates/provinces employ differing terminology and definitions. There are many terms in English to describe human settlements: village, town, township, borough, city, municipality, metro, urban area, conurbation... As a general rule, yes, the word "city" usually refers to a place with a larger population than the word "town." But there are many exceptions: It's certainly possible (in the USA, at least) for a "town" to have a larger population than a "city." In my home state (Massachusetts), for instance, the town of Brookline (63k) has a larger population than the city of Salem (44k). So, it's complicated, and can often be pretty arbitrary. Hope that helps!

The issue isn't the size of the place. Rather, it is how you think about it. "Town" has a friendly feel that "city" lacks. If it is the place where you were born and raised, you would refer to it as your "home town", never as your "home city".