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 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 Ranchos Penitas West: 1852758

GNIS ID for Webb County: 1384025

GNIS ID for Texas: 1779801

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 Ranchos Penitas West:

Place (Community) Code:	60539
State Code:	48 (Texas)
County Code:	479 (Webb 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:	48/60539
State/County Code:	48/479

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
Webb County:	48/479		1384025
Ranchos Penitas West:	48/60539		1852758

GPS Location - GNIS Coordinates ...

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 Ranchos Penitas West, it is a point within Ranchos Penitas West 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 Ranchos Penitas West, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat: 27° 40' 27" (or 27.67°)

Lon: -99° 36' 39" (or -99.61°)

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1852758 (Name of Record: Ranchos Penitas West)

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: Webb

Map Name: Cuervo Creek

Lat: 27.6741797 Lon: -99.6108774

Elev: 151 ft.

GNIS ID #2010719 (Name of Record: Ranchos Penitas West Colonia)

Class: populated place

County: Webb

Map Name: Cuervo Creek

Lat: 27.6752907 Lon: -99.6033772

Elev: 153 ft.