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 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 San Ramon: 2411805

GNIS ID for Contra Costa County: 1675903

GNIS ID for California: 1779778

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 San Ramon:

Place (Community) Code:	68378
State Code:	06 (California)
County Code:	013 (Contra Costa 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:	06/68378
State/County Code:	06/013

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 California:	06		1779778
Contra Costa County:	06/013		1675903
San Ramon:	06/68378		2411805

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 San Ramon, it is a point within San Ramon 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 San Ramon, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   37° 45' 41"   (or 37.76°)

Lon:   -121° 56' 37"   (or -121.94°)  

Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for San Ramon - 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 San Ramon, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as:

Lat:   37° 45' 41"   (or 37.76°)

Lon:   -121° 56' 15"   (or -121.94°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 1,771 feet to the east<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:   37° 45' 26"   (or 37.76°)

Lon:   -121° 57' 7"   (or -121.95°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 4,434 feet to the west<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. San Ramon is located in Region #4 (the West Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. San Ramon is located in Division #9 (the Pacific Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. San Ramon is located in Region IX (Region 9).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. San Ramon is located in Region IX (Region 9).

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 city like San Ramon, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) San Ramon. 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 San Ramon: 94583<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #232469   (Name of Record: San Ramon)

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: Contra Costa

Map Name: Diablo

Lat: 37.8035378       Lon: -121.9794043  

Elev: 125 ft.

GNIS ID #232470   (Name of Record: San Ramon)

Class: civil

County: Contra Costa

Map Name: Diablo

Lat: 37.7607611       Lon: -121.9621814  

Elev: 137 ft.

GNIS ID #234641   (Name of Record: San Ramon)

Class: civil

County: Contra Costa

Map Name: Dublin

Lat: 37.7313177       Lon: -121.9096799  

Elev: 130 ft.

GNIS ID #1656275   (Name of Record: San Ramon)

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: Contra Costa

Map Name: Diablo

Lat: 37.7799273       Lon: -121.9780153  

Elev: 148 ft.

GNIS ID #2411805   (Name of Record: City of San Ramon)

Class: civil

County: Contra Costa

Map Name: Diablo

Lat: 37.7615149       Lon: -121.94384  

Elev: 150 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 06/68378   (Place Name: San Ramon)

County: Contra Costa     (FIPS State/County: 06/013)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- San Ramon) that does not serve as a primary county division - or in other words, it is included in and is part of a primary county division (ie- Contra Costa County).

GSA Code: 3412

MRF Code: 2567

MSA Code: 5775

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for San Ramon: www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/

The official website for Contra Costa County: www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.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)