RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> DeKalb County >> Powell >> MiscellaneousIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Alabama


The Commemorative Quarter for Alabama







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 Powell: 2407153

GNIS ID for DeKalb County: 161550

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 Powell:

Place (Community) Code:  62075
State Code:  01 (Alabama)
County Code:  049 (DeKalb 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:  01/62075
State/County Code:  01/049

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
DeKalb County:    01/049   161550
Powell:    01/62075   2407153

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

Lat:   34° 31' 56"   (or 34.53°)

Lon:   -85° 53' 52"   (or -85.9°)  

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #150466   (Name of Record: Powell)

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: DeKalb

Map Name: Little River

Lat: 34.2864816       Lon: -85.7494111  

Elev: 344 ft.


GNIS ID #2407153   (Name of Record: Town of Powell)

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: DeKalb

Map Name: Dutton

Lat: 34.5324929       Lon: -85.897931  

Elev: 374 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 01/62075   (Place Name: Powell)

County: DeKalb     (FIPS State/County: 01/049)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Powell) 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- DeKalb County).

MRF Code: 1412


FIPS Code: 01/62088   (Place Name: Powell's Crossroads)

County: DeKalb     (FIPS State/County: 01/049)

Class: X2

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

The official website for DeKalb County: www.dekalbcountyal.us/

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)










 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

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: 09 Mar 2024