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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, chose 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 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 McCoy Ferry: 136925

GNIS ID for Cherokee County: 161535

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 McCoy Ferry. The following FIPS codes apply to the State and County:

State Code:  01 (Alabama)
County Code:  019 (Cherokee 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 McCoy Ferry, it is a point within McCoy Ferry 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 McCoy Ferry, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   34° 11' 47"   (or 34.2°)

Lon:   -85° 31' 15"   (or -85.52°)  

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #136925   (Name of Record: McCoy Ferry (historical))

Class: crossing

County: Cherokee

Map Name: Cedar Bluff

Lat: 34.1964835       Lon: -85.521071  

Elev: 172 ft.