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 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 Minnetonka Mills: 647953

GNIS ID for Hennepin County: 659472

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 Minnetonka Mills:

Place (Community) Code:	43288
State Code:	27 (Minnesota)
County Code:	053 (Hennepin 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:	27/43288
State/County Code:	27/053

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
Hennepin County:	27/053		659472
Minnetonka Mills:	27/43288		647953

GPS Location - GNIS Coordinates ...

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 Minnetonka Mills, it is a point within Minnetonka Mills 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 Minnetonka Mills, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   44° 56' 27"   (or 44.94°)

Lon:   -93° 26' 30"   (or -93.44°)  

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Minnetonka Mills is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

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

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

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

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 community like Minnetonka Mills, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Minnetonka Mills. 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 Minnetonka Mills: 55305<1>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #647953   (Name of Record: Minnetonka Mills)

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: Hennepin

Map Name: Hopkins

Lat: 44.9410749       Lon: -93.441897  

Elev: 288 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 27/43288   (Place Name: Minnetonka Mills)

County: Hennepin     (FIPS State/County: 27/053)

Class: U4

Identifies a populated place (ie- Minnetonka Mills) which is wholly or substantially located within the boundaries of an incorporated place with a different name. The Part of Code identifies the incorporated place.

Part-of-Code: 43252

MSA Code: 5120

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Hennepin County: www.hennepin.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)