Miscellaneous Information
Although we found mention of Blue Springs during our research, we have little information about it.<1> Given the context of how Blue Springs was mentioned, we believe that it was a community rather than a locale or some type of landmark. We have done a cursory search and if it was a community, we haven't been able to find any evidence that it still exists..
Various Identification Codes ...
GNIS Codes ...
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) was created to address the problems caused by spelling and naming variations. The BGN will usually recognize an existing name or, when necessary, establish a name for a geographic feature (such as a mountain, lake, river, stream, city, town, village, dam, bridge, etc).
The BGN names are kept in a database called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and it is the official Federal repository. The GNIS is operated and maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
A unique and permanent code has been assigned for each name in the GNIS database. These names and identifiers are definitive and it is intended that they are to be used by all departments of the Federal Government:
GNIS ID for Blue Springs: 149165
GNIS ID for Calhoun County: 161533
GNIS ID for Alabama: 1779775
FIPS Codes ...
In a past effort, various federal agencies created a set of codes with a purpose similar to the GNIS codes. These codes are called the Federal Information Processing Standard (or the FIPS 55 codes). Although they are still used by some organizations, the FIPS codes are obsolete and will ultimately be replaced by the GNIS codes.
While FIPS codes have been assigned to all counties and states, a specific code has not been assigned to Blue Springs. The following FIPS codes apply to the State and County:
| State Code: | 01 (Alabama) |
| County Code: | 015 (Calhoun County) |
GPS Location - GNIS Coordinates ...
An important aspect of the GNIS code is that it assigns a GPS location (the latitude/longitude) to the geographic feature. This location is simply a point on the map and does not represent the size or shape of the feature. In the case of Blue Springs, it is a point within Blue Springs that might be a post office, the city hall or simply an intersection - the point should really be considered arbitrary and only indicating a general location.
For Blue Springs, the GNIS GPS location is given as:
Lat: 33° 46' 25" (or 33.77°)
Lon: -85° 50' 24" (or -85.84°)
Regional Codes ...
For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Blue Springs is located in Region #3 (the South Region).
In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Blue Springs is located in Division #6 (the East South-Central Division).
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Blue Springs is located in Region IV (Region 4).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Blue Springs is located in Region IV (Region 4).
Referenced GNIS Records ...
GNIS ID #140816 (Name of Record: Blue Springs (historical))
Class: populated place
A place or area having clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent population (such as a city, settlement, town or village). The boundaries may or may not coincide with the perceived population.
A 'populated place' record may have a corresponding 'census' or 'civil' record. The information contained in the 'populated place' record applies only to the class and should not be confused with either the 'census' and 'civil' classes.
County: Calhoun
Map Name: Anniston
Lat: 33.7223241 Lon: -85.8194098
Elev: 226 ft.
GNIS ID #149165 (Name of Record: Blue Springs)
Class: populated place
County: Calhoun
Map Name: Jacksonville West
Lat: 33.7737119 Lon: -85.8402441
Elev: 202 ft.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Calhoun County: www.calhouncounty.org/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)
The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
The official website of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
The official website of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer. For example, we might find a sentence like "He went south past Blue Springs and then turned west". While Blue Springs could be some kind of landmark, we think that it's more likely to be a community. We've added Blue Springs as a placeholder with the hope that we'll be able to add more information in the future. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Miller Creek to see Pete ... Miller Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Blue Springs could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. Just in case there has been confusion between counties, we found that there are 4 Alabama communities also named Blue Springs. While this community is located in Calhoun County, the others are located in the following counties: Barbour, Blount, Coosa and Covington. For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Blue Springs. |