Miscellaneous Information

So far, we found very little information about Blue Canyon. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Blue Canyon to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Blue Canyon, please Contact Us.

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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 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 Blue Canyon: 1510828

GNIS ID for Whatcom County: 1529224

GNIS ID for Washington: 1779804

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 Blue Canyon:

Place (Community) Code:	06690
State Code:	53 (Washington)
County Code:	073 (Whatcom 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:	53/06690
State/County Code:	53/073

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 Washington:	53		1779804
Whatcom County:	53/073		1529224
Blue Canyon:	53/06690		1510828

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

Lat:   48° 40' 56"   (or 48.68°)

Lon:   -122° 16' 38"   (or -122.28°)  

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Blue Canyon would have been located in Region #4 (the West Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Blue Canyon would have been located in Division #9 (the Pacific Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Blue Canyon would have been located in Region X (Region 10).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Blue Canyon would have been located in Region X (Region 10).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1510828   (Name of Record: Blue Canyon)

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: Whatcom

Map Name: Lake Whatcom

Lat: 48.6823334       Lon: -122.2773827  

Elev: 102 ft.

Referenced FIPS Records ...

FIPS Code: 53/06690   (Place Name: Blue Canyon)

County: Whatcom     (FIPS State/County: 53/073)

Class: U6

Identifies a populated place (ie- Blue Canyon) that is wholly or substantially located outside the boundaries of any incorporated place or CDP (Census Designated Place) that has an authoritative common name recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

MSA Code: 860

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Whatcom County: www.co.whatcom.wa.us/

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.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)