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 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 Fort Myers Beach: 2406510

GNIS ID for Lee County: 295758

GNIS ID for Florida: 294478

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 Fort Myers Beach:

Place (Community) Code:	24150
State Code:	12 (Florida)
County Code:	071 (Lee 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:	12/24150
State/County Code:	12/071

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
Lee County:	12/071		295758
Fort Myers Beach:	12/24150		2406510

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

Lat:   26° 26' 0"   (or 26.43°)

Lon:   -81° 55' 14"   (or -81.92°)  

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

Lat:   26° 25' 57"   (or 26.43°)

Lon:   -81° 55' 0"   (or -81.92°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 1,344 feet to the east<1> of the point given by the GNIS (see above).

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Fort Myers 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 town like Fort Myers Beach, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Fort Myers 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 Fort Myers Beach: 33931-33932<2>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #282701   (Name of Record: Fort Myers 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: Lee

Map Name: Fort Myers Beach

Lat: 26.4520248       Lon: -81.948145  

Elev: 1 ft.

GNIS ID #2406510   (Name of Record: Town of Fort Myers Beach)

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: Lee

Map Name: Fort Myers Beach

Lat: 26.4334647       Lon: -81.920732  

Elev: 0 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 12/24150   (Place Name: Fort Myers Beach)

County: Lee     (FIPS State/County: 12/071)

Class: U1

GSA Code: 1071

MRF Code: 656

MSA Code: 2700

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Fort Myers Beach: www.fmbeach.org/

The official website for Lee County: www.lee-county.com/

The official website for State of Florida: https://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)