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 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 Council Bluffs: 2393650

GNIS ID for Pottawattamie County: 465266

GNIS ID for Iowa: 1779785

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 Council Bluffs:

Place (Community) Code:	16860
State Code:	19 (Iowa)
County Code:	155 (Pottawattamie 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:	19/16860
State/County Code:	19/155

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 Iowa:	19		1779785
Pottawattamie County:	19/155		465266
Council Bluffs:	19/16860		2393650

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 Council Bluffs, it is a point within Council Bluffs 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 Council Bluffs, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   41° 14' 22"   (or 41.24°)

Lon:   -95° 51' 29"   (or -95.86°)  

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

Lat:   41° 14' 19"   (or 41.24°)

Lon:   -95° 51' 15"   (or -95.85°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 1,165 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:   41° 15' 13"   (or 41.25°)

Lon:   -95° 51' 44"   (or -95.86°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 5,878 feet to the northwest<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. Council Bluffs is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Council Bluffs is located in Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Council Bluffs is located in Region VII (Region 7).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Council Bluffs is located in Region VII (Region 7).

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 Council Bluffs, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Council Bluffs. 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 Council Bluffs: 51501-51503<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #455672   (Name of Record: Council Bluffs)

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: Pottawattamie

Map Name: Council Bluffs North

Lat: 41.2619444       Lon: -95.8608333  

Elev: 301 ft.

GNIS ID #2393650   (Name of Record: City of Council Bluffs)

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: Pottawattamie

Map Name: Council Bluffs South

Lat: 41.2397213       Lon: -95.858304  

Elev: 299 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 19/16860   (Place Name: Council Bluffs)

County: Pottawattamie     (FIPS State/County: 19/155)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Council Bluffs) 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- Pottawattamie County).

GSA Code: 1900

MRF Code: 945

MSA Code: 5920

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Council Bluffs: www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/

The official website for Pottawattamie County: www.pottcounty.com/

The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.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)