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 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 West Peoria: 2397272

GNIS ID for Peoria County: 1784920

GNIS ID for Illinois: 1779784

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 West Peoria:

Place (Community) Code:	80736
State Code:	17 (Illinois)
County Code:	143 (Peoria 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:	17/80736
State/County Code:	17/143

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 Illinois:	17		1779784
Peoria County:	17/143		1784920
West Peoria:	17/80736		2397272

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 West Peoria, it is a point within West Peoria 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 West Peoria, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   40° 41' 55"   (or 40.7°)

Lon:   -89° 37' 58"   (or -89.63°)  

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

Lat:   40° 41' 56"   (or 40.7°)

Lon:   -89° 37' 57"   (or -89.63°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 86.3 feet to the north<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. West Peoria is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. West Peoria is located in Division #3 (the East North-Central Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. West Peoria is located in Region V (Region 5).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. West Peoria is located in Region V (Region 5).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #420885   (Name of Record: West Peoria)

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: Peoria

Map Name: Peoria West

Lat: 40.6925376       Lon: -89.627877  

Elev: 181 ft.

GNIS ID #2397272   (Name of Record: City of West Peoria)

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: Peoria

Map Name: Peoria West

Lat: 40.6987856       Lon: -89.632881  

Elev: 182 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 17/80736   (Place Name: West Peoria)

County: Peoria     (FIPS State/County: 17/143)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- West Peoria) 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- Peoria County).

MRF Code: 6168

MSA Code: 6120

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Peoria County: www.co.peoria.il.us/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.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)