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 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 Excelsior Springs: 2394718

GNIS ID for Clay County: 758478

GNIS ID for Missouri: 1779791

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 Excelsior Springs:

Place (Community) Code:	23086
State Code:	29 (Missouri)
County Code:	047 (Clay 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:	29/23086
State/County Code:	29/047

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 Missouri:	29		1779791
Clay County:	29/047		758478
Excelsior Springs:	29/23086		2394718

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 Excelsior Springs, it is a point within Excelsior Springs 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 Excelsior Springs, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   39° 20' 20"   (or 39.34°)

Lon:   -94° 14' 16"   (or -94.24°)  

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

Lat:   39° 20' 24"   (or 39.34°)

Lon:   -94° 14' 17"   (or -94.24°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 474 feet to the north<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:   39° 20' 29"   (or 39.34°)

Lon:   -94° 13' 50"   (or -94.23°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 2,185 feet to the east<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. Excelsior Springs is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

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

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

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

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 city like Excelsior Springs, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Excelsior Springs. 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 Excelsior Springs: 64024<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #730098   (Name of Record: Excelsior Springs)

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: Clay

Map Name: Excelsior Springs

Lat: 39.3391713       Lon: -94.2260559  

Elev: 239 ft.

GNIS ID #2394718   (Name of Record: City of Excelsior Springs)

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: Clay

Map Name: Excelsior Springs

Lat: 39.3389688       Lon: -94.237862  

Elev: 260 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 29/23086   (Place Name: Excelsior Springs)

County: Clay     (FIPS State/County: 29/047      Count/Seq: 02/01)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Excelsior Springs) 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- Clay County).

GSA Code: 2600

MRF Code: 1370

MSA Code: 3760

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Excelsior Springs: www.ci.excelsior-springs.mo.us/

The official website for Clay County: www.claycogov.com/

The official website for State of Missouri: https://www.mo.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)