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 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 Tega Cay: 2405575

GNIS ID for York County: 1248019

GNIS ID for South Carolina: 1779799

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 Tega Cay:

Place (Community) Code:	71417
State Code:	45 (South Carolina)
County Code:	091 (York 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:	45/71417
State/County Code:	45/091

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 South Carolina:	45		1779799
York County:	45/091		1248019
Tega Cay:	45/71417		2405575

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

Lat:   35° 2' 16"   (or 35.04°)

Lon:   -81° 1' 10"   (or -81.02°)  

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

Lat:   35° 2' 21"   (or 35.04°)

Lon:   -81° 0' 53"   (or -81.01°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 1,414 feet to the east<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:   35° 2' 14"   (or 35.04°)

Lon:   -81° 1' 28"   (or -81.02°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 2,976 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. Tega Cay is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Tega Cay is located in Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Tega Cay is located in Region IV (Region 4).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Tega Cay is located in Region IV (Region 4).

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 city like Tega Cay, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Tega Cay. 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 Tega Cay: 29708<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1231854   (Name of Record: Tega Cay)

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: York

Map Name: Lake Wylie

Lat: 35.024312       Lon: -81.0278546  

Elev: 192 ft.

GNIS ID #2405575   (Name of Record: City of Tega Cay)

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: York

Map Name: Lake Wylie

Lat: 35.0380021       Lon: -81.019466  

Elev: 193 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 45/71417   (Place Name: Tega Cay)

County: York     (FIPS State/County: 45/091)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Tega Cay) 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- York County).

MRF Code: 1422

MSA Code: 1520

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Tega Cay: www.tegacaysc.org/

The official website for York County: www.yorkcountygov.com/

The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.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)