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 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 numeric 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 Valley Center: 1661616

GNIS ID for San Diego County: 277301

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 Valley Center:

Place (Community) Code:	81736
State Code:	06 (California)
County Code:	073 (San Diego 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:	06/81736
State/County Code:	06/073

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 Diego County:	06/073		277301
Valley Center:	06/81736		1661616

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

Lat: 33° 13' 6" (or 33.22°)

Lon: -117° 2' 3" (or -117.03°)

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Valley Center 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 Valley Center, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Valley Center. 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 Valley Center: 92082<1>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1661616 (Name of Record: Valley Center)

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 Diego

Map Name: Valley Center

Lat: 33.2183701 Lon: -117.0341967

Elev: 400 ft.