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 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 Ormond Beach: 2404445

GNIS ID for Volusia County: 306921

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 Ormond Beach:

Place (Community) Code:	53150
State Code:	12 (Florida)
County Code:	127 (Volusia 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:	12/53150
State/County Code:	12/127

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
Volusia County:	12/127		306921
Ormond Beach:	12/53150		2404445

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

Lat:   29° 17' 43"   (or 29.3°)

Lon:   -81° 5' 59"   (or -81.1°)  

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

Lat:   29° 17' 40"   (or 29.29°)

Lon:   -81° 5' 41"   (or -81.09°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 1,565 feet to the east<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:   29° 17' 11"   (or 29.29°)

Lon:   -81° 4' 29"   (or -81.07°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 7,055 feet to the southeast<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. Ormond Beach is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Ormond 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 city like Ormond Beach, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Ormond 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 Ormond Beach: 32173-32176<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #307388   (Name of Record: Ormond 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: Volusia

Map Name: Ormond Beach

Lat: 29.2858129       Lon: -81.0558894  

Elev: 2 ft.

GNIS ID #2404445   (Name of Record: City of Ormond 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: Volusia

Map Name: Ormond Beach

Lat: 29.2953835       Lon: -81.099813  

Elev: 7 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 12/53150   (Place Name: Ormond Beach)

County: Volusia     (FIPS State/County: 12/127)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Ormond Beach) 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- Volusia County).

GSA Code: 2375

MRF Code: 1605

MSA Code: 2020

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Ormond Beach: www.ormondbeach.org/

The official website for Volusia County: www.volusia.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)