RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of South Dakota >> Hanson County >> Fulton >> MiscellaneousIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
South Dakota


The Commemorative Quarter for South Dakota







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 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 identification number 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 Fulton: 1267398

GNIS ID for Hanson County: 1266979

GNIS ID for South Dakota: 1785534

FIPS Codes ...

In a past effort, various federal agencies worked together to create 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 Fulton:

Place (Community) Code:  23220
State Code:  46 (South Dakota)
County Code:  061 (Hanson 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:  46/23220
State/County Code:  46/061

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 Dakota:    46   1785534
Hanson County:    46/061   1266979
Fulton:    46/23220   1267398

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

Lat:   43° 43' 41"   (or 43.73°)

Lon:   -97° 49' 21"   (or -97.82°)  

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

Lat:   43° 43' 43"   (or 43.73°)

Lon:   -97° 49' 21"   (or -97.82°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 188.7 feet to the north<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:   43° 43' 37"   (or 43.73°)

Lon:   -97° 49' 21"   (or -97.82°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 604 feet to the south<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. Fulton is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Fulton is located in Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Fulton is located in Region VIII (Region 8).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Fulton is located in Region VIII (Region 8).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1255181   (Name of Record: Fulton)

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: Hanson

Map Name: Alexandria

Lat: 43.7247032       Lon: -97.823684  

Elev: 404 ft.


GNIS ID #1267398   (Name of Record: Town of Fulton)

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: Hanson

Map Name: Alexandria

Lat: 43.7283142       Lon: -97.822573  

Elev: 406 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 46/23220   (Place Name: Fulton)

County: Hanson     (FIPS State/County: 46/061)

Class: C5

GSA Code: 1080

MRF Code: 535

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

The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.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)

Footnotes ...

<1>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the GNIS-supplied location is 4 degrees and a distance of 188.7 feet.
<2>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the 2000 Census location is 179 degrees and a distance of 604 feet.









 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 10 Mar 2024