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 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 Toms River: 881210

GNIS ID for Ocean County: 882279

GNIS ID for New Jersey: 1779795

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 Toms River:

Place (Community) Code:	73110
State Code:	34 (New Jersey)
County Code:	029 (Ocean 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:	34/73110
State/County Code:	34/029

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 New Jersey:	34		1779795
Ocean County:	34/029		882279
Toms River:	34/73110		881210

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 Toms River, it is a point within Toms River 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 Toms River, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat: 39° 57' 13" (or 39.95°)

Lon: -74° 11' 52" (or -74.2°)

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Toms River is located in Region #1 (the Northeast Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Toms River is located in Division #2 (the Middle Atlantic Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Toms River is located in Region II (Region 2).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Toms River is located in Region II (Region 2).

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 Toms River, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Toms River. 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 Toms River: 08753<1>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #881210 (Name of Record: Toms River)

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: Ocean

Map Name: Toms River

Lat: 39.9537291 Lon: -74.1979192

Elev: 6 ft.