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 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 Nashville - Davidson: 2405092

GNIS ID for Davidson County: 1639737

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 Nashville - Davidson:

Place (Community) Code:	52004
State Code:	47 (Tennessee)
County Code:	037 (Davidson 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:	47/52004
State/County Code:	47/037

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
Davidson County:	47/037		1639737
Nashville - Davidson:	47/52004		2405092

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Nashville - Davidson is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Nashville - Davidson is located in Region IV (Region 4).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #2405092 (Name of Record: Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Davidson (balance))

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: Davidson

Map Name: Nashville West

Lat: 36.1711515 Lon: -86.784474

Elev: 128 ft.