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 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 Capitol Heights: 2390768

GNIS ID for Prince George's County: 1714670

GNIS ID for Maryland: 1714934

FIPS Codes ...

In a past effort, various federal agencies worked together to create 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 Capitol Heights:

Place (Community) Code:	13000
State Code:	24 (Maryland)
County Code:	033 (Prince George's 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:	24/13000
State/County Code:	24/033

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 Maryland:	24		1714934
Prince George's County:	24/033		1714670
Capitol Heights:	24/13000		2390768

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 Capitol Heights, it is a point within Capitol Heights 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 Capitol Heights, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   38° 52' 36"   (or 38.88°)

Lon:   -76° 54' 26"   (or -76.91°)  

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

Lat:   38° 52' 36"   (or 38.88°)

Lon:   -76° 54' 27"   (or -76.91°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 48.29 feet to the west<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:   38° 52' 54"   (or 38.88°)

Lon:   -76° 54' 52"   (or -76.91°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 2,667 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. Capitol Heights is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

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

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Capitol Heights is located in Region III (Region 3).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Capitol Heights is located in Region III (Region 3).

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 town like Capitol Heights, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the town. 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 Capitol Heights :

20731, 20743, 20790 & 20791.<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #597177   (Name of Record: Capitol Heights)

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: Prince George's

Map Name: Washington East

Lat: 38.8851122       Lon: -76.9158068  

Elev: 38 ft.

GNIS ID #2390768   (Name of Record: Town of Capitol Heights)

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: Prince George's

Map Name: Washington East

Lat: 38.8769157       Lon: -76.907431  

Elev: 60 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 24/13000   (Place Name: Capitol Heights)

County: Prince George's     (FIPS State/County: 24/033)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Capitol Heights) 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- Prince George's County).

GSA Code: 240

MRF Code: 125

MSA Code: 8840

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Prince George's County: www.co.pg.md.us/

The official website for State of Maryland: www.maryland.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)