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 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 number 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 Alcalde: 928680

GNIS ID for Rio Arriba County: 1702368

GNIS ID for New Mexico: 897535

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 Alcalde:

Place (Community) Code:	02070
State Code:	35 (New Mexico)
County Code:	039 (Rio Arriba 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:	35/02070
State/County Code:	35/039

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 Mexico:	35		897535
Rio Arriba County:	35/039		1702368
Alcalde:	35/02070		928680

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

Lat: 36° 5' 20" (or 36.09°)

Lon: -106° 3' 13" (or -106.05°)

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Alcalde is located in Region #4 (the West Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Alcalde is located in Division #8 (the Mountain Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Alcalde is located in Region VI (Region 6).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Alcalde is located in Region VI (Region 6).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #928680 (Name of Record: Alcalde)

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: Rio Arriba

Map Name: San Juan Pueblo

Lat: 36.0889116 Lon: -106.053634

Elev: 1741 ft.