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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 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 Great River Station: 2076113

GNIS ID for Suffolk County: 974149

GNIS ID for New York: 1779796

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 Great River Station:

Place (Community) Code:  30224
State Code:  36 (New York)
County Code:  103 (Suffolk 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:  36/30224
State/County Code:  36/103

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 York:    36   1779796
Suffolk County:    36/103   974149
Great River Station:    36/30224   2076113

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

Lat:   40° 44' 25"   (or 40.74°)

Lon:   -73° 10' 9"   (or -73.17°)  

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #2076113   (Name of Record: Great River Station)

Class: locale

County: Suffolk

Map Name: Bay Shore East

Lat: 40.7402778       Lon: -73.1694444  

Elev: 8 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 36/30224   (Place Name: Great River (sta.))

County: Suffolk     (FIPS State/County: 36/103)

Class: U6

Identifies a populated place (ie- Great River Station) that is wholly or substantially located outside the boundaries of any incorporated place or CDP (Census Designated Place) that has an authoritative common name recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

GSA Code: 2391

MSA Code: 5380