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 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 Saltaire: 2391114

GNIS ID for Suffolk County: 974149

GNIS ID for New York: 1779796

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 Saltaire:

Place (Community) Code:	64881
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:	36/64881
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
Saltaire:	36/64881		2391114

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

Lat:   40° 38' 19"   (or 40.64°)

Lon:   -73° 11' 41"   (or -73.19°)  

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

Lat:   40° 38' 17"   (or 40.64°)

Lon:   -73° 11' 40"   (or -73.19°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 258 feet to the south<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:   40° 38' 15"   (or 40.64°)

Lon:   -73° 11' 47"   (or -73.2°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 549 feet to the west<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. Saltaire is located in Region #1 (the Northeast Region).

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #964335   (Name of Record: Saltaire)

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: Suffolk

Map Name: Bay Shore East

Lat: 40.636211       Lon: -73.1967826  

Elev: 1 ft.

GNIS ID #2391114   (Name of Record: Village of Saltaire)

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: Suffolk

Map Name: Bay Shore East

Lat: 40.638764       Lon: -73.194906  

Elev: 1 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 36/64881   (Place Name: Saltaire)

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

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Saltaire) 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- Suffolk County).

GSA Code: 5430

MRF Code: 3220

MSA Code: 5380

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Saltaire: www.saltaire.org/

The official website for Suffolk County: www.co.suffolk.ny.us/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.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)