Miscellaneous Information

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 new 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 numeric identifier 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 Pike Road: 2407109

GNIS ID for Montgomery County: 161577

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.

The following FIPS codes apply to Pike Road:

Place (Community) Code:	59760
State Code:	01 (Alabama)
County Code:	101 (Montgomery County)

Since the Place and County FIPS codes are not unique and can be repeated in other States, it's necessary to combine the State code with the Place and County FIPS codes to uniquely identify them - for example:

State/Place Code:	01/59760
State/County Code:	01/101

As already mentioned, the FIPS codes are to be replaced by the GNIS codes. The following reflect those changes:

	FIPS Code	translates to	GNIS Code
State of Alabama:	01		1779775
Montgomery County:	01/101		161577
Pike Road:	01/59760		2407109

GPS Location - GNIS vs Census ...

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 Pike Road, it is a point within Pike Road 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 Pike Road, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   32° 15' 57"   (or 32.27°)

Lon:   -86° 8' 5"   (or -86.13°)  

Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for Pike Road - this area also contains a map point. As with the GNIS code, the location of the Census point should be considered as being arbitrary within the sampling area.

For Pike Road, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as:

Lat:   32° 18' 42"   (or 32.31°)

Lon:   -86° 1' 58"   (or -86.03°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 6 miles to the northeast<1> of the point given by the GNIS (see above).

You might note that the GPS location given for the 2010 Census is different than the location that was specified by the 2000 Census:

Lat:   32° 16' 10"   (or 32.27°)

Lon:   -86° 8' 24"   (or -86.14°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 6 miles to the southwest<2> of the point given by the 2010 Census.

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Pike Road is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Pike Road is located in Division #6 (the East South-Central Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Pike Road is located in Region IV (Region 4).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Pike Road is located in Region IV (Region 4).

ZIP Codes ...

While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a town like Pike Road, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Pike Road. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code are defined by the needs of the USPS and can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.

The ZIP code for Pike Road: 36064<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #155197   (Name of Record: Pike Road)

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: Montgomery

Map Name: Mount Meigs

Lat: 32.2843084       Lon: -86.1030169  

Elev: 90 ft.

GNIS ID #2407109   (Name of Record: Town of Pike Road)

Class: civil

A political division formed for administrative purposes (such as a borough, county, incorporated place, parish, town or township).

A 'civil' record may have a corresponding 'census' or 'populated place' record. The information contained in the 'civil' record applies only to the class and should not be confused with either the 'census' and 'populated place' classes.

County: Montgomery

Map Name: Barachias

Lat: 32.2659421       Lon: -86.134961  

Elev: 68 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 01/59760   (Place Name: Pike Road)

County: Montgomery     (FIPS State/County: 01/101)

Class: U6

Identifies a populated place (ie- Pike Road) that is wholly or substantially located outside the boundaries of any incorporated place or CDP (Census Designated Place) that has an authoritative common name recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

GSA Code: 2465

MSA Code: 5240

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Pike Road. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Montgomery County: www.mc-ala.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. Census Bureau

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)