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Miscellaneous InformationVarious 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 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 West Alexander: 1215681 GNIS ID for Washington County: 1209190 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 West Alexander:
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:
As already mentioned, the FIPS codes are to be replaced by the GNIS codes. The following reflect those changes:
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 West Alexander, it is a point within West Alexander 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 West Alexander, the GNIS GPS location is given as: Lat: 40° 11' 33" (or 40.19°) Lon: -80° 30' 29" (or -80.51°) Regional Codes ...For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. West Alexander is located in Region #1 (the Northeast Region). In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. West Alexander is located in Division #2 (the Middle Atlantic Division). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. West Alexander is located in Region III (Region 3). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. West Alexander is located in Region III (Region 3). Referenced GNIS Records ...GNIS ID #1190873 (Name of Record: West Alexander) 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: Washington Map Name: Valley Grove Lat: 40.1050733 Lon: -80.5078472 Elev: 406 ft. GNIS ID #1215681 (Name of Record: Borough of West Alexander (historical)) 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: Washington Map Name: Bethany Lat: 40.1925718 Lon: -80.5081247 Elev: 259 ft. Referenced FIPS Records ...FIPS Code: 42/82376 (Place Name: West Alexander) County: Washington (FIPS State/County: 42/125) Class: C5 GSA Code: 8990 MRF Code: 8688 MSA Code: 6280 Off-the-Road Links ...Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Alexander. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page. The official website for Washington County: www.co.washington.pa.us/ The official website for State 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) |
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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024