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 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 Pearland: 2411392

GNIS ID for Brazoria County: 1383805

GNIS ID for Texas: 1779801

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 Pearland:

Place (Community) Code:	56348
State Code:	48 (Texas)
County Code:	039 (Brazoria 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:	48/56348
State/County Code:	48/039

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 Texas:	48		1779801
Brazoria County:	48/039		1383805
Pearland:	48/56348		2411392

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

Lat:   29° 33' 30"   (or 29.56°)

Lon:   -95° 19' 15"   (or -95.32°)  

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

Lat:   29° 33' 20"   (or 29.56°)

Lon:   -95° 19' 23"   (or -95.32°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 1,198 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:   29° 33' 15"   (or 29.55°)

Lon:   -95° 17' 45"   (or -95.3°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 8,613 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. Pearland is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Pearland is located in Division #7 (the West South-Central Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Pearland is located in Region VI (Region 6).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Pearland is located in Region VI (Region 6).

ZIP Codes ...

While some people have used ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Pearland, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the 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.

Our list of ZIP codes for Pearland :  & .<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1343734   (Name of Record: Pearland)

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: Brazoria

Map Name: Pearland

Lat: 29.5635666       Lon: -95.2860474  

Elev: 15 ft.

GNIS ID #2411392   (Name of Record: City of Pearland)

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: Brazoria

Map Name: Pearland

Lat: 29.5584467       Lon: -95.32089  

Elev: 16 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 48/56348   (Place Name: Pearland)

County: Brazoria     (FIPS State/County: 48/039      Count/Seq: 02/01)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Pearland) 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- Brazoria County).

GSA Code: 5249

MRF Code: 3215

MSA Code: 1145

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Pearland: www.cityofpearland.com/

The official website for Brazoria County: www.brazoria-county.com/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.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)