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 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 Angels: 2409709

GNIS ID for Calaveras County: 1675885

GNIS ID for California: 1779778

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 Angels:

Place (Community) Code:	02112
State Code:	06 (California)
County Code:	009 (Calaveras 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:	06/02112
State/County Code:	06/009

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 California:	06		1779778
Calaveras County:	06/009		1675885
Angels:	06/02112		2409709

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

Lat: 38° 4' 23" (or 38.07°)

Lon: -120° 33' 5" (or -120.55°)

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

Lat: 38° 4' 15" (or 38.07°)

Lon: -120° 33' 6" (or -120.55°)

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 769 feet to the south<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. Angels is located in Region #4 (the West Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Angels is located in Division #9 (the Pacific Division).

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #2409709 (Name of Record: City of Angels)

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: Calaveras

Map Name: Angels Camp

Lat: 38.073145 Lon: -120.55159

Elev: 483 ft.