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 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 Pismo: 273034

GNIS ID for San Luis Obispo County: 277304

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 Pismo:

Place (Community) Code:	57400
State Code:	06 (California)
County Code:	079 (San Luis Obispo 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:	06/57400
State/County Code:	06/079

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 Luis Obispo County:	06/079		277304
Pismo:	06/57400		273034

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

Lat: 35° 7' 15" (or 35.12°)

Lon: -120° 36' 47" (or -120.61°)

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #273034 (Name of Record: Pismo)

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 Luis Obispo

Map Name: Oceano

Lat: 35.1210868 Lon: -120.6132261

Elev: 26 ft.