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 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 Los Altos Hills: 2412916
GNIS ID for Santa Clara County: 277307
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 Los Altos Hills:
| Place (Community) Code: | 43294 |
| State Code: | 06 (California) |
| County Code: | 085 (Santa Clara 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: | 06/43294 |
| State/County Code: | 06/085 |
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 | |
| Santa Clara County: | 06/085 | 277307 | |
| Los Altos Hills: | 06/43294 | 2412916 |
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 Los Altos Hills, it is a point within Los Altos Hills 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 Los Altos Hills, the GNIS GPS location is given as:
Lat: 37° 22' 3" (or 37.37°)
Lon: -122° 8' 22" (or -122.14°)
Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for Los Altos Hills - 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 Los Altos Hills, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as:
Lat: 37° 22' 2" (or 37.37°)
Lon: -122° 8' 21" (or -122.14°)
The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 122.9 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° 22' 17" (or 37.37°)
Lon: -122° 8' 15" (or -122.14°)
The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 1,529 feet to the north<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. Los Altos Hills is located in Region #4 (the West Region).
In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Los Altos Hills is located in Division #9 (the Pacific Division).
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Los Altos Hills is located in Region IX (Region 9).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Los Altos Hills is located in Region IX (Region 9).
Referenced GNIS Records ...
GNIS ID #1659746 (Name of Record: Los Altos Hills)
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: Santa Clara
Map Name: Palo Alto
Lat: 37.3796627 Lon: -122.1374637
Elev: 89 ft.
GNIS ID #2412916 (Name of Record: Town of Los Altos Hills)
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: Santa Clara
Map Name: Mindego Hill
Lat: 37.367532 Lon: -122.13972
Elev: 135 ft.
Referenced FIPS Records ...
FIPS Code: 06/43294 (Place Name: Los Altos Hills)
County: Santa Clara (FIPS State/County: 06/085)
Class: C1
Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Los Altos Hills) 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- Santa Clara County).
GSA Code: 1977
MRF Code: 1625
MSA Code: 7400
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Los Altos Hills: www.losaltoshills.ca.gov/
The official website for Santa Clara County: www.sccgov.org/
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)