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 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 San Antonio: 248786

GNIS ID for Alameda County: 1675839

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.

While FIPS codes have been assigned to all counties and states, a specific code has not been assigned to San Antonio. The following FIPS codes apply to the State and County:

State Code:	06 (California)
County Code:	001 (Alameda County)

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

Lat: 37° 51' 27" (or 37.86°)

Lon: -122° 15' 19" (or -122.26°)

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #232365 (Name of Record: San Antonio)

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: Alameda

Map Name: Oakland East

Lat: 37.780206 Lon: -122.2174679

Elev: 17 ft.

GNIS ID #234621 (Name of Record: San Antonio)

Class: civil

County: Alameda

Map Name: Oakland East

Lat: 37.7615951 Lon: -122.1519101

Elev: 130 ft.

GNIS ID #248786 (Name of Record: San Antonio)

Class: civil