Editing Interurban (section)

== Definition ==
[[File:Theatrical_District,_Richmond,_Virginia,_1923.jpg|right|thumb|Postcard of electric trolley-powered streetcars in [[Richmond, Virginia]], in 1923, two generations after Frank J. Sprague successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888. The intersection shown is at 8th & Broad streets.]]
The term "interurban" was coined by [[Charles L. Henry]], a [[state senator]] in Indiana. The Latin, {{Lang|la|inter urbes}}, means "between cities".{{sfn|Middleton|1961|p=13}} The interurban fit on a continuum between urban [[street railway]]s and full-fledged railroads. George W. Hilton and John F. Due identified four characteristics of an interurban:{{sfn|Hilton|Due|1960|p=9}}

* Electric power for propulsion.
* Passenger service as the primary business.
* Equipment heavier and faster than urban streetcars.
* Operation on tracks in city streets, and in rural areas on roadside tracks or private [[right-of-way (transportation)|rights-of-way]].

The definition of "interurban" is necessarily blurry. Some town streetcar lines evolved into interurban systems by extending streetcar track from town into the countryside to link adjacent towns together and sometimes by the acquisition of a nearby interurban system. Following initial construction, there was a large amount of consolidation of lines. Other interurban lines effectively became [[light rail]] systems with no street running whatsoever, or they became primarily freight-hauling railroads because of a progressive loss of their initial passenger service over the years.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

In 1905, the [[United States Census Bureau]] defined an interurban as "a street railway having more than half its trackage outside municipal limits." It drew a distinction between "interurban" and "suburban" railroads. A suburban system was oriented toward a city center in a single urban area and served [[commuter railroad|commuter traffic]]. A regular railroad moved riders from one city center to another city center and also moved a substantial amount of freight.

The typical interurban similarly served more than one city, but it served a smaller region and made more frequent stops, and it was oriented to passenger rather than freight service.{{sfn|Bureau of the Census|1905|p=5}}