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Miscellaneous Information

Although we found mention of Smiths during our research, we have little information about it.<1> Given the context of how Smiths was mentioned, we believe that it was a community rather than a locale or some type of landmark. We have done a cursory search and if it was a community, we haven't been able to find any evidence that it still exists..

Various Identification Codes ...

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 Smiths:

Place (Community) Code:	71136
State Code:	01 (Alabama)
County Code:	081 (Lee 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:	01/71136
State/County Code:	01/081

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Smiths 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 community like Smiths, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Smiths. 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 Smiths: 36877<2>

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 01/71136 (Place Name: Smiths)

County: Lee (FIPS State/County: 01/081)

Class: U1

GSA Code: 2812

MRF Code: 1586

Footnotes ...

<1>

If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer. For example, we might find a sentence like "He went south past Smiths and then turned east". While Smiths could be some kind of landmark, we think that it's more likely to be a community. We've added Smiths as a placeholder with the hope that we'll be able to add more information in the future.

Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name.

Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time.

Also keep in mind that Smiths could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out.

Since confusion between counties is common, we searched and weren't able to find another Alabama community named Smiths.

<2>

When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Smiths or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).