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 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 Van Alstyne: 2412145

GNIS ID for Collin County: 1383828

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 Van Alstyne:

Place (Community) Code:	74924
State Code:	48 (Texas)
County Code:	085 (Collin 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:	48/74924
State/County Code:	48/085

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
Collin County:	48/085		1383828
Van Alstyne:	48/74924		2412145

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

Lat:   33° 25' 17"   (or 33.42°)

Lon:   -96° 34' 45"   (or -96.58°)  

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

Lat:   33° 25' 13"   (or 33.42°)

Lon:   -96° 34' 46"   (or -96.58°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 437.1 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:   33° 25' 26"   (or 33.42°)

Lon:   -96° 34' 43"   (or -96.58°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 1,282 feet to the north<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. Van Alstyne is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

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

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

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Van Alstyne 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 city like Van Alstyne, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Van Alstyne. 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 Van Alstyne: 75495<3>

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1370567   (Name of Record: Van Alstyne)

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: Grayson

Map Name: Van Alstyne

Lat: 33.4214995       Lon: -96.5772109  

Elev: 239 ft.

GNIS ID #2412145   (Name of Record: City of Van Alstyne)

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: Grayson

Map Name: Van Alstyne

Lat: 33.421647       Lon: -96.579406  

Elev: 239 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 48/74924   (Place Name: Van Alstyne)

County: Grayson     (FIPS State/County: 48/181)

Class: C1

Identifies an incorporated place (ie- Van Alstyne) 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- Collin County).

GSA Code: 7130

MRF Code: 4380

MSA Code: 7640

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Van Alstyne. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Collin County: www.co.collin.tx.us/

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)