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, establish 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 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 East Palo Alto: 2410389
GNIS ID for San Mateo County: 277305
GNIS ID for California: 1779778
FIPS Codes ...
In a past effort, various federal agencies worked together to create 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 East Palo Alto:
| Place (Community) Code: | 20956 |
| State Code: | 06 (California) |
| County Code: | 081 (San Mateo 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: | 06/20956 |
| State/County Code: | 06/081 |
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 | |
| San Mateo County: | 06/081 | 277305 | |
| East Palo Alto: | 06/20956 | 2410389 |
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 East Palo Alto, it is a point within East Palo Alto 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 East Palo Alto, the GNIS GPS location is given as:
Lat: 37° 28' 1" (or 37.47°)
Lon: -122° 8' 5" (or -122.13°)
Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for East Palo Alto - 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 East Palo Alto, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as:
Lat: 37° 28' 4" (or 37.47°)
Lon: -122° 7' 57" (or -122.13°)
The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 724 feet to the east<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: 37° 28' 1" (or 37.47°)
Lon: -122° 8' 22" (or -122.14°)
The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 2,086 feet to the west<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. East Palo Alto is located in Region #4 (the West Region).
In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. East Palo Alto is located in Division #9 (the Pacific Division).
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. East Palo Alto is located in Region IX (Region 9).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. East Palo Alto is located in Region IX (Region 9).
Referenced GNIS Records ...
GNIS ID #1658461 (Name of Record: East Palo Alto)
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: San Mateo
Map Name: Palo Alto
Lat: 37.4688273 Lon: -122.1410751
Elev: 6 ft.
GNIS ID #2410389 (Name of Record: City of East Palo Alto)
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: San Mateo
Map Name: Palo Alto
Lat: 37.4670946 Lon: -122.1349
Elev: 4 ft.
Referenced FIPS Records ...
FIPS Code: 06/20956 (Place Name: East Palo Alto (Nairobi))
County: San Mateo (FIPS State/County: 06/081)
Class: C1
Identifies an incorporated place (ie- East Palo Alto) 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- San Mateo County).
GSA Code: 1065
MRF Code: 827
MSA Code: 7360
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for East Palo Alto: www.ci.east-palo-alto.ca.us/
The official website for San Mateo County: www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/
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)