Step 1 :Let's denote the number of residents in Town A as \(x\) and the number of residents in Town B as \(y\).
Step 2 :We know that the total number of residents in the new city is 4000, so we have the equation \(x + y = 4000\).
Step 3 :The percentage of African Americans in the new city is 9.2%, which means that the total number of African Americans is \(0.092 \times 4000 = 368\). The number of African Americans from Town A is \(0.12x\) and from Town B is \(0.08y\). So we have the equation \(0.12x + 0.08y = 368\).
Step 4 :We can solve this system of equations to find the values of \(x\) and \(y\).
Step 5 :The solution to the system of equations is \(x = 1200\) and \(y = 2800\).
Step 6 :Final Answer: Town A used to have \(\boxed{1200}\) residents, and Town B used to have \(\boxed{2800}\) residents.