Annexation is the process by which cities extend their municipal services, regulations, voting privileges, and taxing authority to a new area. One of the primary reasons for annexation is so that the City can regulate growth and development in a manner consistent with the City's vision. Annexation can preserve a growing urban area as a unified whole. It can also facilitate the full and efficient use of existing municipal resources.
Annexation boundaries are typically determined through a variety of factors including the ease of service delivery, the relationship to the existing City, whether there will be support from the property owners, that it is a logical growth pattern for the City, etc.