Miscellaneous Information

Various Identification Codes ...

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.

While FIPS codes have been assigned to all counties and states, a specific code has not been assigned to Grand Rapids. The following FIPS codes apply to the State and County:

State Code:	55 (Wisconsin)
County Code:	141 (Wood County)

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

Lat:   44° 22' 38"   (or 44.38°)

Lon:   -89° 45' 59"   (or -89.77°)  

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

Lat:   44° 22' 47"   (or 44.38°)

Lon:   -89° 45' 16"   (or -89.75°)  

The map point defined by the Census Bureau lies 3,199 feet to the east<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:   44° 22' 1"   (or 44.37°)

Lon:   -89° 46' 24"   (or -89.77°)  

The GPS location given for the 2000 Census lies 6,719 feet to the southwest<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. Grand Rapids is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Grand Rapids is located in Division #3 (the East North-Central Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Grand Rapids is located in Region V (Region 5).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Grand Rapids is located in Region V (Region 5).