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 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 Washington: 881551

GNIS ID for Burlington County: 882272

GNIS ID for New Jersey: 1779795

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 Washington:

Place (Community) Code:	77270
State Code:	34 (New Jersey)
County Code:	005 (Burlington 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:	34/77270
State/County Code:	34/005

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
Burlington County:	34/005		882272
Washington:	34/77270		881551

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

Lat: 39° 41' 2" (or 39.68°)

Lon: -74° 34' 33" (or -74.58°)

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #881551 (Name of Record: Washington)

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: Burlington

Map Name: Jenkins

Lat: 39.6840072 Lon: -74.5759875

Elev: 18 ft.