counties property
counties.json is {"counties": {key: {...}}} (or a bare map).
Implementation
Map<String, dynamic> get counties {
final f = file('counties');
final c = f['counties'];
if (c is Map<String, dynamic>) return c;
if (f.isNotEmpty && !f.containsKey('counties')) return f;
final fresh = <String, dynamic>{};
f['counties'] = fresh;
return fresh;
}