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 identifier 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 Spanish Fort: 2405500

GNIS ID for Baldwin County: 161527

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 Spanish Fort:

Place (Community) Code:	71976
State Code:	01 (Alabama)
County Code:	003 (Baldwin 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:	01/71976
State/County Code:	01/003

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
Baldwin County:	01/003		161527
Spanish Fort:	01/71976		2405500

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

Lat:   30° 40' 35"   (or 30.68°)

Lon:   -87° 55' 4"   (or -87.92°)  

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

Lat:   30° 43' 19"   (or 30.72°)

Lon:   -87° 52' 3"   (or -87.87°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 4 miles to the northeast<1> of the point given by the GNIS (see above).

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

ZIP Codes ...

While some people have used ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Spanish Fort, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the city. 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.

Our list of ZIP codes for Spanish Fort :  & .<2>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1669449   (Name of Record: Spanish Fort)

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: Baldwin

Map Name: Bridgehead

Lat: 30.6749127       Lon: -87.9152724  

Elev: 8 ft.

GNIS ID #2405500   (Name of Record: City of Spanish Fort)

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: Baldwin

Map Name: Bridgehead

Lat: 30.6765438       Lon: -87.917845  

Elev: 15 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 01/71976   (Place Name: Spanish Fort)

County: Baldwin     (FIPS State/County: 01/003)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Spanish Fort) 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- Baldwin County).

GSA Code: 2823

MRF Code: 1602

MSA Code: 5160

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Baldwin County: www.co.baldwin.al.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)