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 numeric 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 Costa Mesa: 2410239

GNIS ID for Orange County: 277294

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 Costa Mesa:

Place (Community) Code:	16532
State Code:	06 (California)
County Code:	059 (Orange 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:	06/16532
State/County Code:	06/059

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
Orange County:	06/059		277294
Costa Mesa:	06/16532		2410239

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

Lat:   33° 40' 0"   (or 33.67°)

Lon:   -117° 54' 48"   (or -117.91°)  

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

Lat:   33° 39' 57"   (or 33.67°)

Lon:   -117° 54' 44"   (or -117.91°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 526 feet to the southeast<1> of the point given by the GNIS (see above).

You might note that the GPS location given for the 2010 Census is different than the location that was specified by the 2000 Census:

Lat:   33° 39' 53"   (or 33.66°)

Lon:   -117° 54' 44"   (or -117.91°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 341.5 feet to the south<2> of the point given by the 2010 Census.

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Costa Mesa 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 city like Costa Mesa, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Costa Mesa. 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 Costa Mesa: 92626-92628<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1652692   (Name of Record: Costa Mesa)

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: Orange

Map Name: Newport Beach

Lat: 33.6411316       Lon: -117.9186689  

Elev: 30 ft.

GNIS ID #2410239   (Name of Record: City of Costa Mesa)

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: Orange

Map Name: Newport Beach

Lat: 33.6669295       Lon: -117.91356  

Elev: 20 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 06/16532   (Place Name: Costa Mesa)

County: Orange     (FIPS State/County: 06/059)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Costa Mesa) 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- Orange County).

GSA Code: 880

MRF Code: 625

MSA Code: 5945

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Costa Mesa: www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/

The official website for Orange County: www.oc.ca.gov/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.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)