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 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 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 Pleasant Prairie: 1583936

GNIS ID for Kenosha County: 1581089

GNIS ID for Wisconsin: 1779806

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 Pleasant Prairie:

Place (Community) Code:	63325
State Code:	55 (Wisconsin)
County Code:	059 (Kenosha 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:	55/63325
State/County Code:	55/059

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 Wisconsin:	55		1779806
Kenosha County:	55/059		1581089
Pleasant Prairie:	55/63325		1583936

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 Pleasant Prairie, it is a point within Pleasant Prairie 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 Pleasant Prairie, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat: 42° 31' 7" (or 42.52°)

Lon: -87° 48' 10" (or -87.8°)

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Pleasant Prairie is located in Region #2 (the Midwest Region).

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

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

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

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1583936 (Name of Record: Town of Pleasant Prairie (historical))

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: Kenosha

Map Name: Kenosha

Lat: 42.5186318 Lon: -87.8028505

Elev: 175 ft.