Even back then Jerusalem was a “divided city” TB Yoma 12

 For the first 17 years of my rabbinate I thought I lived in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. My parsonage had a Longmeadow ZIP Code and a Longmeadow telephone exchange, 567. One day I abruptly learned that my house was really in Springfield, Massachusetts. A neighbor down the street asked the question if something should happen, which ambulance service should be called Longmeadow’s or Springfield’s? Some official looked at the town line and discovered that the line ran through my yard with my house in Springfield. The town actually put a marker on my front lawn to demarcate where the line ran through my property. I was told I had a week to remove my eldest son from the Longmeadow school system and transfer him to the Springfield school system. In the end we were able to work the situation out that he would remain in the school he started with all his friends.

 On today’s daf TB Yoma 12 the Rabbis and Rabbi Yehuda disagreed whether Jerusalem was situated between two tribes or within the territory of just one tribe. Rabbi Yehuda felt that Jerusalem was just like my home in Springfield , lehavdil, part of it in the territory of Judah and part of it in the territory of Benjamin. This had halakhic implications whether the laws of impurity apply to Jerusalem or not.

“Rabbi Yehuda holds: Jerusalem was divided between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Therefore, the same halakhot of impurity apply there as apply in all other cities in Eretz Yisrael. The Gemara states: And that dispute corresponds to the dispute between these tanna’im, as it was taught in a baraita: What part of the Temple was located in the portion of the tribe of Judah? It was the part including the entire Temple Mount, excluding those areas in the portion of Benjamin, the chambers, and the courtyards. And what part of the Temple was in the portion of the tribe of Benjamin? It was the part including the Entrance Hall of the Sanctuary, and the Sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies. And a strip of land emerges from the portion of Judah and enters the portion of Benjamin on which the altar is built. And Benjamin the righteous would suffer longing to engulf it every day. The tribe of Benjamin was disappointed that the strip belonging to the tribe of Judah intersected its tribal land and wanted Judah to transfer ownership so that the land with the altar would belong to Benjamin.

“An allusion to this is that which is stated in Moses’ blessing to Benjamin: “Ever does he protect him and he rests between his shoulders” (Deuteronomy 33:12), like one who is unable to abide something stuck between his shoulders and constantly rubs it to remove it. Therefore, Benjamin the righteous was privileged to serve as host [ushpizekhan] to the Almighty, as it is stated: “And he rests between his shoulders,” alluding to the fact that the Holy of Holies was located in the territory of Benjamin. According to this baraita, Jerusalem was divided among the tribes.” (Sefaria.org translation)

The dividing line ran north-south. Judah’s property was situated east of that dividing line and Benjamin’s property was north of that line. As the Gemara points out, Benjamin received the choicer of the two because his property included the courtyard altar as well as the Holy of Holies.