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, establish 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 number 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 Clearwater Beach: 280544

GNIS ID for Pinellas County: 295745

GNIS ID for Florida: 294478

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 Clearwater Beach:

Place (Community) Code:	12900
State Code:	12 (Florida)
County Code:	103 (Pinellas 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:	12/12900
State/County Code:	12/103

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 Florida:	12		294478
Pinellas County:	12/103		295745
Clearwater Beach:	12/12900		280544

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

Lat:   27° 58' 38"   (or 27.98°)

Lon:   -82° 49' 40"   (or -82.83°)  

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Clearwater Beach is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Clearwater Beach is located in Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Clearwater Beach is located in Region IV (Region 4).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Clearwater Beach is located in Region IV (Region 4).

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 Clearwater Beach, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Clearwater Beach. 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 Clearwater Beach: 33767<1>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #280544   (Name of Record: Clearwater Beach)

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: Pinellas

Map Name: Clearwater

Lat: 27.9772415       Lon: -82.8278812  

Elev: 1 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 12/12900   (Place Name: Clearwater Beach)

County: Pinellas     (FIPS State/County: 12/103)

Class: U4

Identifies a populated place (ie- Clearwater Beach) which is wholly or substantially located within the boundaries of an incorporated place with a different name. The Part of Code identifies the incorporated place.

Part-of-Code: 12875

MSA Code: 8280

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clearwater Beach. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Pinellas County: www.pinellascounty.org/

The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/

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)