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 code 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 Bluff City: 2403884

GNIS ID for Sullivan County: 1639793

GNIS ID for Tennessee: 1325873

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 Bluff City:

Place (Community) Code:	06960
State Code:	47 (Tennessee)
County Code:	163 (Sullivan 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:	47/06960
State/County Code:	47/163

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 Tennessee:	47		1325873
Sullivan County:	47/163		1639793
Bluff City:	47/06960		2403884

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

Lat:   36° 27' 38"   (or 36.46°)

Lon:   -82° 16' 40"   (or -82.28°)  

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

Lat:   36° 27' 34"   (or 36.46°)

Lon:   -82° 16' 40"   (or -82.28°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 476.7 feet to the south<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:   36° 27' 48"   (or 36.46°)

Lon:   -82° 16' 30"   (or -82.28°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 1,637 feet to the northeast<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. Bluff City is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Bluff City is located in Division #6 (the East South-Central Division).

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Bluff City 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 Bluff City, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Bluff City. 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 Bluff City: 37618<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1305320   (Name of Record: Bluff City)

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: Sullivan

Map Name: Bluff City

Lat: 36.4742705       Lon: -82.2609685  

Elev: 442 ft.

GNIS ID #2403884   (Name of Record: City of Bluff City)

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: Sullivan

Map Name: Bluff City

Lat: 36.4607908       Lon: -82.277848  

Elev: 472 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 47/06960   (Place Name: Bluff City)

County: Sullivan     (FIPS State/County: 47/163)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Bluff City) 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- Sullivan County).

GSA Code: 250

MRF Code: 145

MSA Code: 3660

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Sullivan County: www.sullivancounty.org/

The official website for State of Tennessee: https://www.tn.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)