Zip Codes

[kkt]

^^^^^

Remember the US government loves its acronyms. "ZIP" in "ZIP Code" is an acronym that stands for "Zone Improvement Program." That name had the happy coincidence of shortening to a word that connotes speed, as in faster mail delivery, so the term stuck.

I've sometimes wondered whether addressing something the old way (e.g., "Brooklyn 9, NY" instead of 11209) would work, but I've never bothered to try it to find out.

I'm pretty sure it would.  Letters get there even if you omit the ZIP code entirely, something addressed with the zone code should be no problem.

[kalvado]

^^^^^

Remember the US government loves its acronyms. "ZIP" in "ZIP Code" is an acronym that stands for "Zone Improvement Program." That name had the happy coincidence of shortening to a word that connotes speed, as in faster mail delivery, so the term stuck.

I've sometimes wondered whether addressing something the old way (e.g., "Brooklyn 9, NY" instead of 11209) would work, but I've never bothered to try it to find out.

I'm pretty sure it would.  Letters get there even if you omit the ZIP code entirely, something addressed with the zone code should be no problem.

I believe Canada has official surcharge for mail without postal code. Makes some sense...

[jeffandnicole]

^^^^^

Remember the US government loves its acronyms. "ZIP" in "ZIP Code" is an acronym that stands for "Zone Improvement Program." That name had the happy coincidence of shortening to a word that connotes speed, as in faster mail delivery, so the term stuck.

I've sometimes wondered whether addressing something the old way (e.g., "Brooklyn 9, NY" instead of 11209) would work, but I've never bothered to try it to find out.

I'm pretty sure it would.  Letters get there even if you omit the ZIP code entirely, something addressed with the zone code should be no problem.

Every year, 2 out-of-state friends address cards to us that have wrong street numbers or zip codes, yet every year we receive their cards, usually within 2 days of the postmark date. Whatever the USPS does to get it to the proper address actually works pretty well.

[CtrlAltDel]

^^^^^

Remember the US government loves its acronyms. "ZIP" in "ZIP Code" is an acronym that stands for "Zone Improvement Program." That name had the happy coincidence of shortening to a word that connotes speed, as in faster mail delivery, so the term stuck.

I've sometimes wondered whether addressing something the old way (e.g., "Brooklyn 9, NY" instead of 11209) would work, but I've never bothered to try it to find out.

I'm pretty sure it would.  Letters get there even if you omit the ZIP code entirely, something addressed with the zone code should be no problem.

Every year, 2 out-of-state friends address cards to us that have wrong street numbers or zip codes, yet every year we receive their cards, usually within 2 days of the postmark date. Whatever the USPS does to get it to the proper address actually works pretty well.

Every bit of mail is scanned and then OCRed to find the address, and then a bar code is printed on the envelope, unless it's already been done by the sender. If there's enough machine-readable information to uniquely determine the address, then the relevant bar code is printed automatically with no human intervention. If there isn't enough information or if the computer can't read it, then an image of the scan is sent to someone to read (who works in a central location), and if this person can determine the address, they type it into the computer, and the bar code is printed on the envelope. It's not always the full address that they need to indicate. Sometimes it's just the street number, sometimes just the zip code, etc. If it's unreadable, then the letter is returned to the sender.

[KCRoadFan]

Seeing the question about the pairs of neighboring zip codes with the largest numerical differences, here's a related question: what are some of the neighboring pairs of zip codes, across state lines, with the smallest differences between the two numbers? I'm guessing it's one of the 027 zip codes in southeast Massachusetts along the border with Rhode Island (whose zip codes begin with 028 and 029).

[kkt]

A friend used to play games with the addresses.  Omit the zip code.  Omit the zip code and the state.  Omit everything BUT the 9-digit zip code (it worked - it was a PO box and the 9-digit zip code encorporated the box number).

For first class mail, there's no extra charge for omitting the zip code.  But I believe to qualify for bulk mailing rates the zip code may be required.

[chrisdiaz]

Seeing the question about the pairs of neighboring zip codes with the largest numerical differences, here's a related question: what are some of the neighboring pairs of zip codes, across state lines, with the smallest differences between the two numbers? I'm guessing it's one of the 027 zip codes in southeast Massachusetts along the border with Rhode Island (whose zip codes begin with 028 and 029).

The smallest I found in the situation you described would be 02790 and 02837, a difference of just 47. I'm going to continue looking in other states now

[chrisdiaz]

Seeing the question about the pairs of neighboring zip codes with the largest numerical differences, here's a related question: what are some of the neighboring pairs of zip codes, across state lines, with the smallest differences between the two numbers? I'm guessing it's one of the 027 zip codes in southeast Massachusetts along the border with Rhode Island (whose zip codes begin with 028 and 029).

The smallest I found in the situation you described would be 02790 and 02837, a difference of just 47. I'm going to continue looking in other states now

Already found one, 03878 and 03901, a difference of just 23.

[KCRoadFan]

One thing I've sometimes wondered: are there any areas in the country where the first three digits of the zip code happen to match the local area code? If not, where might the closest such pairs be found?

I know that the zip code range 618 (Champaign, IL) is located within area code 217, but it's not too far from area code 618, which covers the southern part of the state.

Is the zip code range 321 (Daytona Beach, FL) within the 321 area code, which is centered on the Space Coast area? I know it's close, anyway.

Any other examples?

[Scott5114]

A friend used to play games with the addresses.  Omit the zip code.  Omit the zip code and the state.  Omit everything BUT the 9-digit zip code (it worked - it was a PO box and the 9-digit zip code encorporated the box number).

For first class mail, there's no extra charge for omitting the zip code.  But I believe to qualify for bulk mailing rates the zip code may be required.

I was always curious how viable it would be to substitute a numbered route designation for the street name in urban areas, but I've never had access to a box on a numbered route to test it.

kphoger once told a story where his mom successfully received a letter addressed only to "Nurse Sue, Atwood KS".

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I remember reading about someone who only put the initials of the receiver, the initial of the address, and the postcode (which IIRC was somewhere in the Los Angeles area). The letter managed to arrive at destination.

[hotdogPi]

One thing I've sometimes wondered: are there any areas in the country where the first three digits of the zip code happen to match the local area code? If not, where might the closest such pairs be found?

I know that the zip code range 618 (Champaign, IL) is located within area code 217, but it's not too far from area code 618, which covers the southern part of the state.

Is the zip code range 321 (Daytona Beach, FL) within the 321 area code, which is centered on the Space Coast area? I know it's close, anyway.

Any other examples?

I've looked at this before. 202 in DC and 971 in Oregon.

[bing101]

^^^^^

"ZIP" in "ZIP Code" is an acronym that stands for "Zone Improvement Program." That name had the happy coincidence of shortening to a word that connotes speed, as in faster mail delivery, so the term stuck.

I don't think it was a coincidence at all, if for no other reason that the expression "zone improvement plan" doesn't really make sense. I mean, you don't really improve a zone by giving it a number.

Well, it certainly wasn't a "coincidence" that they chose a catchy name for marketing purposes in conveying it to the public. Insofar as the system "improved" on their ability to process mail quickly using the existing postal "zones," though, I suppose the name makes sense. As seen in the example in my prior post, some large cities were divided into "postal zones" to help with processing mail there by routing it to the appropriate post office within the larger area. The ZIP Code system expands that to the country as a whole. I've never bothered to find out what the additional four digits after the hyphen mean, though I know what the full ZIP+4 is for our house and my mom's house.

I now believe the highest differences may be along the Mississippi/Arkansas border. Crossing the Mississippi river on US 49 means a jump of 33,716 between Dundee, MS's 38626 and Helena (part of Helena West Helena), AR's 72342. Of course, that using only postcodes that get called "ZIP codes", the French example I posted above is over 80,000; courtesy of France numbering their departments by alphabetical order and no. 04 (Alpes de Haute Provence) bordering no. 84 (Vaucluse).

That seems highly likely to be correct:

Interestingly New Jersey has 00 Zip Codes and not 10 zip codes. It's interesting to see New Jersey get New England designated zip codes.

[bing101]

I remember reading about someone who only put the initials of the receiver, the initial of the address, and the postcode (which IIRC was somewhere in the Los Angeles area). The letter managed to arrive at destination.

90xxx-91xxx zip codes those tend to be for Los Angeles county.
92xxx is for other counties in Southern California.

[1995hoo]

A friend used to play games with the addresses.  Omit the zip code.  Omit the zip code and the state.  Omit everything BUT the 9-digit zip code (it worked - it was a PO box and the 9-digit zip code encorporated the box number).

For first class mail, there's no extra charge for omitting the zip code.  But I believe to qualify for bulk mailing rates the zip code may be required.

I was always curious how viable it would be to substitute a numbered route designation for the street name in urban areas, but I've never had access to a box on a numbered route to test it.

kphoger once told a story where his mom successfully received a letter addressed only to "Nurse Sue, Atwood KS".

Walter Gretzky's biography of his son mentioned how little kids in other countries sometimes addressed letters simply to "Wayne Gretzky, Kanada," and they'd get there–presumably the foreign post office just sent it to Canada and then the Canadian post office knew who Gretzky was and sent it on to Edmonton.

[Life in Paradise]

A friend used to play games with the addresses.  Omit the zip code.  Omit the zip code and the state.  Omit everything BUT the 9-digit zip code (it worked - it was a PO box and the 9-digit zip code encorporated the box number).

For first class mail, there's no extra charge for omitting the zip code.  But I believe to qualify for bulk mailing rates the zip code may be required.

I was always curious how viable it would be to substitute a numbered route designation for the street name in urban areas, but I've never had access to a box on a numbered route to test it.

kphoger once told a story where his mom successfully received a letter addressed only to "Nurse Sue, Atwood KS".

Walter Gretzky's biography of his son mentioned how little kids in other countries sometimes addressed letters simply to "Wayne Gretzky, Kanada," and they'd get there–presumably the foreign post office just sent it to Canada and then the Canadian post office knew who Gretzky was and sent it on to Edmonton.

I have a post office box in my town for work, and the boxes have their own zip code and my box number is the +4.  I would use that as my return address. When I was getting a letter sent certified, one of the clerks told me that just using that number wasn't an appropriate return address.  I responded where would it go otherwise, my zip +4 was only for my PO Box.  She didn't have an answer.  I have had quite a few letters returned (person moved, etc), and there was no problem getting it back to my box with only the zip +4 as the return address.

[Scott5114]

The main argument for including all of the extra information that isn't just the ZIP+4+DPC is for redundancy. Sure, "73070-1428" identifies my PO box uniquely, but if even one of the digits gets obliterated it's headed off to the dead letter office.

[frankenroad]

So, with the +4 code and the last two digits of the address, you pretty much get a single house. An apartment building will often have its own +4 code with the apartment number being the the delivery point. There's also a system if the apartments are lettered instead of numbered. Post office boxes have another system, based on the box number, as you've seen.

I live in a condo building with about 180 units.   We have 6 +4 codes just in our building.  Interestingly, they are not sequentially numbered.  They are, in sequence from lowest to highest numbered unit:
-3152
-3166
-3167
-3153
-3154
-3165

I am the last unit in -3153, my next door neighbor is in -3154.

Our mailboxes are all in the same mailroom, in banks.  I happen to be the last box in my bank, and my neighbor is the first box in the next bank.

[Big John]

Interestingly New Jersey has 00 Zip Codes and not 10 zip codes. It's interesting to see New Jersey get New England designated zip codes.

And Puerto Rico.

[Life in Paradise]

The main argument for including all of the extra information that isn't just the ZIP+4+DPC is for redundancy. Sure, "73070-1428" identifies my PO box uniquely, but if even one of the digits gets obliterated it's headed off to the dead letter office.

The other reason that I just put the zip code only on my returns, is that very simply I get lazy with my work

[NJRoadfan]

I live in a condo building with about 180 units.   We have 6 +4 codes just in our building.  Interestingly, they are not sequentially numbered.  They are, in sequence from lowest to highest numbered unit:
-3152
-3166
-3167
-3153
-3154
-3165

I am the last unit in -3153, my next door neighbor is in -3154.

Our mailboxes are all in the same mailroom, in banks.  I happen to be the last box in my bank, and my neighbor is the first box in the next bank.

My current complex is all one +4 except for 2 units. The reason is the delivery point code, the extra two numbers that come after the Zip+4 (usually based on the 2 last digits of the numbered address), would have been duplicated. Those two units have their own +4 assigned to them. Note that every delivery point in the US has a unique 11 digit number assigned to it, its just internally used by the post office and encoded with that printed barcode. You can likely address an envelope with just this 11 digit number and it'll reach its destination.

This is a sharp contrast to the alphanumeric post code system used by the UK and Canada, which DOES encode the exact address point.

[KCRoadFan]

I looked up the ZIP+4 31415-9265 (the first nine digits of pi) to see if it existed. Sadly, it does not, but it would be in Savannah, GA if it did.

[Road Hog]

^^^^^

"ZIP" in "ZIP Code" is an acronym that stands for "Zone Improvement Program." That name had the happy coincidence of shortening to a word that connotes speed, as in faster mail delivery, so the term stuck.

I don't think it was a coincidence at all, if for no other reason that the expression "zone improvement plan" doesn't really make sense. I mean, you don't really improve a zone by giving it a number.

Well, it certainly wasn't a "coincidence" that they chose a catchy name for marketing purposes in conveying it to the public. Insofar as the system "improved" on their ability to process mail quickly using the existing postal "zones," though, I suppose the name makes sense. As seen in the example in my prior post, some large cities were divided into "postal zones" to help with processing mail there by routing it to the appropriate post office within the larger area. The ZIP Code system expands that to the country as a whole. I've never bothered to find out what the additional four digits after the hyphen mean, though I know what the full ZIP+4 is for our house and my mom's house.

I now believe the highest differences may be along the Mississippi/Arkansas border. Crossing the Mississippi river on US 49 means a jump of 33,716 between Dundee, MS's 38626 and Helena (part of Helena West Helena), AR's 72342. Of course, that using only postcodes that get called "ZIP codes", the French example I posted above is over 80,000; courtesy of France numbering their departments by alphabetical order and no. 04 (Alpes de Haute Provence) bordering no. 84 (Vaucluse).

That seems highly likely to be correct:

This map is not entirely accurate. One of Austin's ZIPs is 73301.

[US 89]

Interestingly, despite neat-looking maps like the one above from Wikipedia, some zip codes in the rural west cross state lines, generally in remote areas where mail delivery routes are more limited often due to terrain. From what I can tell, the following zip codes cross the Utah state line:

81324 (Dove Creek, CO) - extends into parts of eastern San Juan County, UT that are difficult to access from the Utah side due to Montezuma Canyon
82930 (Evanston, WY) - includes regions in Utah north of the Uinta Mountains, inaccessible from the rest of Utah in winter
83312 (Almo, ID) - extends into a small part of northern Utah, including the community of Lynn, isolated from the rest of Utah by the Raft River Mountains
83342 (Malta, ID) - also extends into regions of Utah north of the Raft Rivers, including the communities of Standrod and Yost
84034 (Ibapah, UT) - covers neighboring parts of Nevada, though oddly this entire region is only accessible year-round by going through Nevada
84531 (Mexican Hat, UT) - extends into a remote part of northwestern Apache County, AZ only accessible through Utah
84536 (Monument Valley, UT) - covers both the Utah and Arizona sides of this border community
86044 (Tonalea, AZ) - extends into Navajo Mountain region of Utah, which you can't get to from the rest of Utah with multiple rivers and canyons in the way
86514 (Teec Nos Pos, AZ) - includes parts of southeastern San Juan County, UT near the Four Corners

83414 (Alta, WY) is a similar case: although it is entirely located in Wyoming, it has an Idaho code because you can't get there from the rest of Wyoming with the Tetons in the way.

[NWI_Irish96]

Anybody else find it odd that Kentucky has a lower population than Indiana, and Michigan but got 3 blocks of ZIP Codes compared to 2 for the other states.