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 numeric 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 Wales Junction: 2350469

GNIS ID for Montgomery County: 1213680

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 Wales Junction:

Place (Community) Code:	80528
State Code:	42 (Pennsylvania)
County Code:	091 (Montgomery 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:	42/80528
State/County Code:	42/091

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 Pennsylvania:	42		1779798
Montgomery County:	42/091		1213680
Wales Junction:	42/80528		2350469

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

Lat: 40° 12' 56" (or 40.22°)

Lon: -75° 18' 2" (or -75.3°)

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #2350469 (Name of Record: Wales Junction)

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: Montgomery

Map Name: Lansdale

Lat: 40.2157 Lon: -75.3007

Elev: 110 ft.