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 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 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 Dolan Springs: 25302

GNIS ID for Mohave County: 25445

GNIS ID for Arizona: 1779777

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 Dolan Springs:

Place (Community) Code:	19630
State Code:	04 (Arizona)
County Code:	015 (Mohave 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:	04/19630
State/County Code:	04/015

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 Arizona:	04		1779777
Mohave County:	04/015		25445
Dolan Springs:	04/19630		25302

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

Lat: 35° 35' 30" (or 35.59°)

Lon: -114° 16' 23" (or -114.27°)

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Dolan Springs is located in Region #4 (the West Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Dolan Springs is located in Division #8 (the Mountain Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Dolan Springs is located in Region IX (Region 9).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Dolan Springs is located in Region IX (Region 9).

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 Dolan Springs, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Dolan Springs. 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 Dolan Springs: 86441<1>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #25302 (Name of Record: Dolan Springs)

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: Mohave

Map Name: Dolan Springs

Lat: 35.5919357 Lon: -114.2732932

Elev: 1026 ft.