In the following context, it is obvious that County is a proper noun and deserves capitalization.
Currently, Albemarle County has four main reservoirs.
However, in these other contexts below, I am not sure whether county and city would be considered proper nouns. Is a reference to a specific geographic area considered a proper noun?
The James River lies south of the county and has a tremendous flow rate.
The Ragged Mountain reservoir is located closest to the city of Charlottesville.
According to the Illinois Identity Standards, I should "not capitalize common nouns and various shortened forms of official names". In the first example, county is referring to a generic county, so I suspect it is a common noun (and can remain uncapitalized). In the second example, I am not sure whether city is proper (and consequently, whether to capitalize). On official documentation, this city is referred to as the "City of Charlottesville", but I have never heard anyone say it quite like that.
I would appreciate any clarification!
Best Answer
Words like city and county often appear in proper nouns alongside their use as common nouns. Most style guides recommend capitalizing these words only when used in full proper names. For example:
Note how the entry only capitalizes Wayne County.
This last case is what the Illinois Identity Standards mean by “shortened forms of official names.” Even though it specifically refers to Wayne County and might be considered an abbreviation of the proper noun, you do not capitalize county when using it alone like this. Likewise, you would not capitalize the city or the county seat even when referring specifically to the city of Detroit.
You can read many such phrases in more than one way. City of London is a famous example: The City of London is a district of the city of London. Capitalization always follows from the phrase's meaning, not its form. It would be incorrect to capitalize city of London when referring to the greater metropolitan area. Likewise, the Research Triangle is anchored by “the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill” even though City of Raleigh appears as a proper noun in official documents.
Often, a common noun is more appropriate even when it exactly matches the form of a proper name. Follow the meaning, not the form. For example:
Here, City fits the meaning; even better, it matches the formal register of Commonwealth.
In contrast, this example emphasizes city as a geographical role and not as part of Charlotte's identity. Therefore, it requires the uncapitalized common noun.