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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, 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 identification 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 Sentinel Hill: 1136736

GNIS ID for Multnomah County: 1135861

GNIS ID for Oregon: 1155107

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 Sentinel Hill:

Place (Community) Code:  66285
State Code:  41 (Oregon)
County Code:  051 (Multnomah 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:  41/66285
State/County Code:  41/051

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 Oregon:    41   1155107
Multnomah County:    41/051   1135861
Sentinel Hill:    41/66285   1136736

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

Lat:   45° 29' 22"   (or 45.49°)

Lon:   -122° 41' 45"   (or -122.7°)  

Regional Codes ...

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

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Sentinel Hill is located in Division #9 (the Pacific Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Sentinel Hill is located in Region X (Region 10).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Sentinel Hill is located in Region X (Region 10).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1136736   (Name of Record: Sentinel Hill (historical))

Class: locale

County: Multnomah

Map Name: Lake Oswego

Lat: 45.4895628       Lon: -122.6959294  

Elev: 300 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 41/66285   (Place Name: Sentinel Hill)

County: Multnomah     (FIPS State/County: 41/051)

Class: U6

Identifies a populated place (ie- Sentinel Hill) 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).

MSA Code: 6440