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 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 Colorado Springs: 2410198

GNIS ID for El Paso County: 198135

GNIS ID for Colorado: 1779779

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 Colorado Springs:

Place (Community) Code:	16000
State Code:	08 (Colorado)
County Code:	041 (El Paso 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:	08/16000
State/County Code:	08/041

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 Colorado:	08		1779779
El Paso County:	08/041		198135
Colorado Springs:	08/16000		2410198

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

Lat:   38° 52' 1"   (or 38.87°)

Lon:   -104° 45' 38"   (or -104.76°)  

Determined by its statistical needs, the Census Bureau has defined a sampling area for Colorado Springs - 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 Colorado Springs, the Census 2010 GPS location is given as:

Lat:   38° 52' 2"   (or 38.87°)

Lon:   -104° 45' 38"   (or -104.76°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 44.81 feet to the north<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:   38° 51' 48"   (or 38.86°)

Lon:   -104° 47' 30"   (or -104.79°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 8,955 feet to the west<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. Colorado Springs is located in Region #4 (the West Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Colorado Springs is located in Division #8 (the Mountain Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Colorado Springs is located in Region VIII (Region 8).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Colorado Springs is located in Region VIII (Region 8).

ZIP Codes ...

While some people have used ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Colorado Springs, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the city. 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.

Our list of ZIP codes for Colorado Springs :

80901, 80903, 80904, 80905, 80906, 80907, 80908, 80909, 80910, 80911, 80912, 80913, 80914, 80915, 80916, 80917, 80918, 80919, 80920, 80921, 80925, 80928, 80929, 80930, 80931, 80932, 80933, 80934, 80935, 80936, 80940, 80941, 80942, 80943, 80944, 80945, 80946, 80949, 80960, 80962, 80970, 80977, 80995 & 80997.<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #204797   (Name of Record: Colorado Springs)

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: El Paso

Map Name: Colorado Springs

Lat: 38.8338816       Lon: -104.8213634  

Elev: 1832 ft.

GNIS ID #2410198   (Name of Record: City of Colorado Springs)

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: El Paso

Map Name: Colorado Springs

Lat: 38.8671414       Lon: -104.76069  

Elev: 1928 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 08/16000   (Place Name: Colorado Springs)

County: El Paso     (FIPS State/County: 08/041)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Colorado Springs) 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- El Paso County).

GSA Code: 430

MRF Code: 240

MSA Code: 1720

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Colorado Springs: www.springsgov.com/

The official website for El Paso County: www.elpasoco.com/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.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)