RoadsideThoughts |
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada |
Home >> State of Wisconsin >> Eau Claire County >> Altoona >> Miscellaneous | Index... |
Miscellaneous InformationVarious 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, chose 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 identification number 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 Altoona: 1582685 GNIS ID for Eau Claire County: 1581077 GNIS ID for Wisconsin: 1779806 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 Altoona:
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:
As already mentioned, the FIPS codes are to be replaced by the GNIS codes. The following reflect those changes:
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 Altoona, it is a point within Altoona 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 Altoona, the GNIS GPS location is given as: Lat: 44° 48' 17" (or 44.8°) Lon: -91° 26' 31" (or -91.44°) Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for Altoona - 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 Altoona, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as: Lat: 44° 47' 59" (or 44.8°) Lon: -91° 26' 22" (or -91.44°) The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 1,934 feet to the south<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: 44° 48' 14" (or 44.8°) Lon: -91° 26' 31" (or -91.44°) The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 1,654 feet to the northwest<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. Altoona is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region). In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Altoona is located in Division #3 (the East North-Central Division). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Altoona is located in Region V (Region 5). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Altoona is located in Region V (Region 5). Referenced GNIS Records ...GNIS ID #1560807 (Name of Record: Altoona) 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: Eau Claire Map Name: Eau Claire East Lat: 44.8046825 Lon: -91.4432148 Elev: 273 ft. GNIS ID #1582685 (Name of Record: City of Altoona) 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: Eau Claire Map Name: Eau Claire East Lat: 44.8049603 Lon: -91.4421036 Elev: 273 ft. Referenced FIPS Records ...FIPS Code: 55/01550 (Place Name: Altoona) County: Eau Claire (FIPS State/County: 55/035) Class: C5 GSA Code: 110 MRF Code: 50 MSA Code: 2290 Off-the-Road Links ...The official website for Altoona: www.ci.altoona.wi.us/ The official website for Eau Claire County: www.co.eau-claire.wi.us/ The official website for State of Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsin.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) Footnotes ... |
Thank you for visiting our website.
In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.
If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.
This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024