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 San Miguel: 1661389

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 San Miguel:

Place (Community) Code:	68266
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:	06/68266
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
San Miguel:	06/68266		1661389

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

Lat: 35° 45' 8" (or 35.75°)

Lon: -120° 41' 46" (or -120.7°)

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. San Miguel 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 community like San Miguel, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) San Miguel. 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 San Miguel: 93451<1>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1661389 (Name of Record: San Miguel)

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 Luis Obispo

Map Name: San Miguel

Lat: 35.7524679 Lon: -120.6962826

Elev: 193 ft.