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 identification 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 Des Moines: 2394522

GNIS ID for Polk County: 465265

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 Des Moines:

Place (Community) Code:	21000
State Code:	19 (Iowa)
County Code:	153 (Polk 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:	19/21000
State/County Code:	19/153

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
Polk County:	19/153		465265
Des Moines:	19/21000		2394522

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 Des Moines, it is a point within Des Moines 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 Des Moines, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   41° 34' 27"   (or 41.57°)

Lon:   -93° 37' 1"   (or -93.62°)  

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

Lat:   41° 34' 26"   (or 41.57°)

Lon:   -93° 37' 0"   (or -93.62°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 151.1 feet to the southeast<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° 35' 27"   (or 41.59°)

Lon:   -93° 37' 15"   (or -93.62°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 6,298 feet to the north<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. Des Moines is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

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

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

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

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 Des Moines, 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 Des Moines :

50301, 50302, 50303, 50304, 50305, 50306, 50307, 50308, 50309, 50310, 50311, 50312, 50313, 50314, 50315, 50316, 50317, 50318, 50319, 50320, 50328, 50329, 50330, 50331, 50332, 50333, 50334, 50335, 50338, 50339, 50347, 50350, 50359, 50360, 50361, 50362, 50363, 50367, 50368, 50380, 50391, 50392, 50393, 50394, 50395, 50396, 50936, 50940, 50947, 50950, 50980 & 50981.<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #465961   (Name of Record: Des Moines)

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: Polk

Map Name: Des Moines SE

Lat: 41.6005448       Lon: -93.6091064  

Elev: 266 ft.

GNIS ID #2394522   (Name of Record: City of Des Moines)

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: Polk

Map Name: Des Moines SE

Lat: 41.5742592       Lon: -93.617071  

Elev: 241 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 19/21000   (Place Name: Des Moines)

County: Polk     (FIPS State/County: 19/153)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Des Moines) 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- Polk County).

GSA Code: 2260

MRF Code: 1130

MSA Code: 2120

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Des Moines: www.dmgov.org/

The official website for Polk County: www.co.polk.ia.us/

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)