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 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 Long Lost Lake: 2392573

GNIS ID for Clearwater County: 659460

GNIS ID for Minnesota: 662849

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 Long Lost Lake:

Place (Community) Code:	38042
State Code:	27 (Minnesota)
County Code:	029 (Clearwater 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:	27/38042
State/County Code:	27/029

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 Minnesota:	27		662849
Clearwater County:	27/029		659460
Long Lost Lake:	27/38042		2392573

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 Long Lost Lake, it is a point within Long Lost Lake 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 Long Lost Lake, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   47° 11' 42"   (or 47.2°)

Lon:   -95° 21' 39"   (or -95.36°)  

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

Lat:   47° 11' 45"   (or 47.2°)

Lon:   -95° 20' 51"   (or -95.35°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 3,268 feet to the east<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. Long Lost Lake is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Long Lost Lake is located in Region V (Region 5).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #2392573   (Name of Record: Township of Long Lost Lake)

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: Clearwater

Map Name: Anchor Hill

Lat: 47.1950187       Lon: -95.360878  

Elev: 514 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 27/38042   (Place Name: Long Point)

County: Lake of the Woods     (FIPS State/County: 27/077)

Class: U6

Identifies a populated place (ie- Long Lost Lake) that is wholly or substantially located outside the boundaries of any incorporated place or CDP (Census Designated Place) that has an authoritative common name recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Clearwater County: www.co.clearwater.mn.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.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)