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 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 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 Bradford Woods: 1170131

GNIS ID for Allegheny County: 1213657

GNIS ID for Pennsylvania: 1779798

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 Bradford Woods:

Place (Community) Code:	08064
State Code:	42 (Pennsylvania)
County Code:	003 (Allegheny 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:	42/08064
State/County Code:	42/003

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
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:	42		1779798
Allegheny County:	42/003		1213657
Bradford Woods:	42/08064		1170131

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

Lat:   40° 38' 12"   (or 40.64°)

Lon:   -80° 4' 46"   (or -80.08°)  

Regional Codes ...

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

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

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Bradford Woods is located in Region III (Region 3).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Bradford Woods is located in Region III (Region 3).

ZIP Codes ...

While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a community like Bradford Woods, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Bradford Woods. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code are defined by the needs of the USPS and can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.

The ZIP code for Bradford Woods: 15015<1>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1170131   (Name of Record: Bradford Woods)

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: Allegheny

Map Name: Mars

Lat: 40.637567       Lon: -80.0817249  

Elev: 367 ft.

GNIS ID #1214775   (Name of Record: Borough of Bradford Woods)

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: Allegheny

Map Name: Mars

Lat: 40.6367337       Lon: -80.0795027  

Elev: 381 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 42/08064   (Place Name: Bradfordwoods)

County: Allegheny     (FIPS State/County: 42/003)

Class: C5

GSA Code: 850

MRF Code: 1105

MSA Code: 6280

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bradford Woods. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Allegheny County: www.county.allegheny.pa.us/

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.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)