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 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 Santa Maria: 1376017

GNIS ID for Cameron County: 1383816

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 Santa Maria:

Place (Community) Code:	65744
State Code:	48 (Texas)
County Code:	061 (Cameron 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:	48/65744
State/County Code:	48/061

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
Cameron County:	48/061		1383816
Santa Maria:	48/65744		1376017

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

Lat: 26° 4' 43" (or 26.08°)

Lon: -97° 50' 57" (or -97.85°)

Regional Codes ...

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

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

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

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

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 community like Santa Maria, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Santa Maria. 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 Santa Maria: 78592<1>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1376017 (Name of Record: Santa Maria)

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: Cameron

Map Name: Santa Maria

Lat: 26.0786883 Lon: -97.8494421

Elev: 20 ft.