RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Tennessee >> Hamilton County >> Signal Mountain >> MiscellaneousIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Tennessee


The Commemorative Quarter for Tennessee







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 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 Signal Mountain: 2407335

GNIS ID for Hamilton County: 1639749

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 Signal Mountain:

Place (Community) Code:  68540
State Code:  47 (Tennessee)
County Code:  065 (Hamilton 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:  47/68540
State/County Code:  47/065

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
Hamilton County:    47/065   1639749
Signal Mountain:    47/68540   2407335

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

Lat:   35° 8' 35"   (or 35.14°)

Lon:   -85° 20' 47"   (or -85.35°)  

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

Lat:   35° 8' 29"   (or 35.14°)

Lon:   -85° 20' 47"   (or -85.35°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 592 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:   35° 7' 44"   (or 35.13°)

Lon:   -85° 20' 32"   (or -85.34°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 4,680 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. Signal Mountain is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Signal Mountain 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 town like Signal Mountain, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Signal Mountain. 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 Signal Mountain: 37377<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1270254   (Name of Record: Signal Mountain)

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: Hamilton

Map Name: Chattanooga

Lat: 35.1225727       Lon: -85.3438488  

Elev: 519 ft.


GNIS ID #2407335   (Name of Record: Town of Signal Mountain)

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: Hamilton

Map Name: Fairmount

Lat: 35.1431606       Lon: -85.346536  

Elev: 511 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 47/68540   (Place Name: Signal Mountain)

County: Hamilton     (FIPS State/County: 47/065)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Signal Mountain) 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- Hamilton County).

GSA Code: 2210

MRF Code: 1300

MSA Code: 1560

The official website for Signal Mountain: www.signalmtntown.org/

The official website for Hamilton County: www.hamiltontn.gov/

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)

Footnotes ...

<1>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the GNIS-supplied location is 183 degrees and a distance of 592 feet.
<2>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the 2000 Census location is 194 degrees and a distance of 4,680 feet.
<3>When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Signal Mountain or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).









 

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