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 West Columbia: 2405706

GNIS ID for Lexington County: 1244251

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 West Columbia:

Place (Community) Code:	75850
State Code:	45 (South Carolina)
County Code:	063 (Lexington 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:	45/75850
State/County Code:	45/063

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
Lexington County:	45/063		1244251
West Columbia:	45/75850		2405706

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 West Columbia, it is a point within West Columbia 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 Columbia, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   33° 59' 28"   (or 33.99°)

Lon:   -81° 5' 35"   (or -81.09°)  

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

Lat:   33° 59' 25"   (or 33.99°)

Lon:   -81° 5' 42"   (or -81.1°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 609 feet to the southwest<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:   33° 59' 19"   (or 33.99°)

Lon:   -81° 4' 47"   (or -81.08°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 4,682 feet to the east<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. West Columbia is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. West Columbia 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 West Columbia, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) West Columbia. 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 West Columbia: 29169<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1251380   (Name of Record: West Columbia)

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: Lexington

Map Name: Southwest Columbia

Lat: 33.9934867       Lon: -81.0739826  

Elev: 87 ft.

GNIS ID #2405706   (Name of Record: City of West Columbia)

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: Lexington

Map Name: Southwest Columbia

Lat: 33.9911505       Lon: -81.093291  

Elev: 79 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 45/75850   (Place Name: West Columbia)

County: Lexington     (FIPS State/County: 45/063)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- West Columbia) 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- Lexington County).

GSA Code: 2790

MRF Code: 1525

MSA Code: 1760

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for West Columbia: www.cityofwestcolumbiasc.org/

The official website for Lexington County: www.lex-co.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)