Are there any ZIP Code geeks here? I have taken an interest in ZIP Codes and how the mail distribution system works.
In Kansas, all ZIP Codes start with 66 or 67. The 66 prefixes are mostly in eastern Kansas, except for the 669 prefix, which is in north central Kansas. The 67s are mostly in central and western Kansas. Mail from all 66 prefixes goes to Kansas City, Missouri to be processed, except for 669 mail, which goes to Wichita. Wichita has the only Processing & Distribution Center in Kansas, after consolidations closed the other ones. Most 67 prefix mail goes to Wichita, except 677, which goes to North Platte, and 679, which goes to Amarillo.
The 679 prefix only has 7 ZIP Codes. The first ZIP Code in Kansas in numerical order is 66002, Atchison. The last in numerical order is 67954, Rolla.
There was talk about sending North Platte mail to Denver for processing, which would have sent 677 mail to Denver. But they reversed that decision, so 677 mail still goes to North Platte. There was also talk about the Wichita Processing & Distribution Center closing, but that also seems to have died down. Many people don't realize that Wichita processes mail from a huge area, from Norton in northwest Kansas to Johnson City in southwest Kansas to Independence in southeast Kansas.
I have for the purpose of determining blackouts for NBA teams and availability of regional sports networks. In the only town in my county whose first 3 digits are different from the rest of the county, and because of that, I'm the only one who can't get a team's games on a local network and have to pay for League Pass (got around said blackout when my streaming service detected I was in another nearby ZIP that could get the games.
In the mid 1970's I used to know all the Zip Codes in several western Michigan counties. I worked for a non-profit that mailed out a lot of donation letters. Some of which I had printed. And when there was no printing to be done, I might help creating the metal plates with potential donor addresses. I typed slow enough that I didn't overwhelm the machine. Some of the other clerical workers typed too fast. Since we had to separate all the outgoing mail, remembering the zip codes helped in the work.
I think maybe I fall into this category a bit. It's fun for me to search Google Maps by a zip code and see the crazy boundaries of why this town and this area fits and why another area doesn't.
I honestly didn't realize for the longest that the last two digits in zip codes were based on the towns in that district listed alphabetically. So my town of Woodworth is 71485 near the end while Aimwell with an A is 71401.
Louisiana contains 70 and 71 zip codes. Lowest is 70000 in Metairie and largest is 71497 in Natchitoches.
Shreveport, where I grew up, also has what I think is a unique thing related to zip codes. Most zip codes in Shreveport and Bossier City start with 711. Every zip there locally is pronounced "seven eleven ___" and my home address being pronounced "seven eleven oh seven". Even the few with different numbers at the end: 71111 is seven eleven eleven. 71129 is seven eleven twenty nine. I'm assuming it was always said that way because of the rhyme.
Are there any other areas of the US that don't pronounce each 5 numbers separately?
I know a lot of the zip codes around me and almost all of the zip codes in the city of Detroit. Flint, Lansing and Saginaw I know pretty well.
I've learned long ago where most of the nearby 549xx codes are in the west half of the Appleton, WI area (Oshkosh, WI et al), but never found a real need to learn the where the 541xx codes are in the eastern half of the metro area (Green Bay, WI outside of the GRB urban area, which is 543xx). Wisconsin has all of the numbers starting with 530 through 549. It likely will not happen until after I am long gone, but I do anticipate the Zip Code numbers in the 541, 543 and 549 areas being reallocated over time as the northeastern Wisconsin area grows and matures.
Also, assuming that President Trump's territorial thing bears fruit, what number ranges could we see being used by the USPS for Zip Codes? I'm thinking that we'll be seeing numbers starting with 'A' and 'B' (ie 'A0101' or 'B0401').
Mike
Zip codes were generally numbered in alphabetical order after the 123xx, but that system broke down as newer zip codes were added after the initial list.
Zip codes are also their lowest in the Northeast, yet somehow NJ retained 07 and 08 even though NYC begins with 10.
Zip codes that begin with 0 occasionally have issues with computer programs that treat the code as a number, not as a text string, and will leave the leading 0 off, which results in a bad 4-digit code (such as 8052 for New Jersey).
I'm more interested in mail distribution in general.
In some ways, this is sort of like phone numbers.
Quote from: bassoon1986 on March 30, 2025, 06:46:58 PMI think maybe I fall into this category a bit. It's fun for me to search Google Maps by a zip code and see the crazy boundaries of why this town and this area fits and why another area doesn't.
I honestly didn't realize for the longest that the last two digits in zip codes were based on the towns in that district listed alphabetically. So my town of Woodworth is 71485 near the end while Aimwell with an A is 71401.
Louisiana contains 70 and 71 zip codes. Lowest is 70000 in Metairie and largest is 71497 in Natchitoches.
Shreveport, where I grew up, also has what I think is a unique thing related to zip codes. Most zip codes in Shreveport and Bossier City start with 711. Every zip there locally is pronounced "seven eleven ___" and my home address being pronounced "seven eleven oh seven". Even the few with different numbers at the end: 71111 is seven eleven eleven. 71129 is seven eleven twenty nine. I'm assuming it was always said that way because of the rhyme.
Are there any other areas of the US that don't pronounce each 5 numbers separately?
The plan is for first digit = Major Region
Next two = Major City
Last two = Zone Numbers within the city.
For rural, the gave major rural areas of the state the same next two.
It would have been counterproductive to assign numbers alphabetically.
Quote from: mgk920 on March 30, 2025, 10:48:39 PMI've learned long ago where most of the nearby 549xx codes are in the west half of the Appleton, WI area (Oshkosh, WI et al), but never found a real need to learn the where the 541xx codes are in the eastern half of the metro area (Green Bay, WI outside of the GRB urban area, which is 543xx). Wisconsin has all of the numbers starting with 530 through 549. It likely will not happen until after I am long gone, but I do anticipate the Zip Code numbers in the 541, 543 and 549 areas being reallocated over time as the northeastern Wisconsin area grows and matures.
Mike
541xx is west of Green Bay (and De Pere) in the Green Bay zone and 542xx is east of Green Bay in that zone.
Quote from: Big John on March 31, 2025, 12:46:39 AMQuote from: mgk920 on March 30, 2025, 10:48:39 PMI've learned long ago where most of the nearby 549xx codes are in the west half of the Appleton, WI area (Oshkosh, WI et al), but never found a real need to learn the where the 541xx codes are in the eastern half of the metro area (Green Bay, WI outside of the GRB urban area, which is 543xx). Wisconsin has all of the numbers starting with 530 through 549. It likely will not happen until after I am long gone, but I do anticipate the Zip Code numbers in the 541, 543 and 549 areas being reallocated over time as the northeastern Wisconsin area grows and matures.
Mike
541xx is west of Green Bay (and De Pere) in the Green Bay zone and 542xx is east of Green Bay in that zone.
542xx is centered in algoma, WI. Green Bay (city et al except for De Pere) is 543xx
Mike
Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 30, 2025, 11:15:57 PMZip codes were generally numbered in alphabetical order after the 123xx, but that system broke down as newer zip codes were added after the initial list.
Zip codes are also their lowest in the Northeast, yet somehow NJ retained 07 and 08 even though NYC begins with 10.
Zip codes that begin with 0 occasionally have issues with computer programs that treat the code as a number, not as a text string, and will leave the leading 0 off, which results in a bad 4-digit code (such as 8052 for New Jersey).
Puerto Rico starts with '00'. However, the 'island' itself does not account all of the possible '00xxx' numbers.
Mike
Quote from: michravera on March 30, 2025, 11:37:16 PMIt would have been counterproductive to assign numbers alphabetically.
The "hundred blocks" seem to be alphabetical here. For example, 018xx and 019xx (and probably most of the rest) both assign 01 as the last two digits to the major city, and then the rest are alphabetical by town.
Schenectady has the stupidest ZIP Code I've ever heard of in my life! That's the kinda thing an idiot would have on his luggage!
Quote from: NWI_Irish96 on March 31, 2025, 07:55:29 AMSchenectady has the stupidest ZIP Code I've ever heard of in my life! That's the kinda thing an idiot would have on his luggage!
If you're talking about 12345, that's not really Schenectady. And it is sort of a pride thing for those guys.
Quote from: kalvado on March 31, 2025, 08:04:16 AMQuote from: NWI_Irish96 on March 31, 2025, 07:55:29 AMSchenectady has the stupidest ZIP Code I've ever heard of in my life! That's the kinda thing an idiot would have on his luggage!
If you're talking about 12345, that's not really Schenectady. And it is sort of a pride thing for those guys.
Then Green Bay has 543xx, but 21 is not assigned for the last 2 digits.
I previously worked at two different jobs in a high tourist area (Myrtle Beach). As part of our checkout procedure we had to input their zip code. I pretty much can recognize any zip code in the Carolinas and know the general area it comes from, if not the exact city/town. At one point if you told me any zip code I could pretty much make out what state it was from at minimum.
Quote from: bassoon1986 on March 30, 2025, 06:46:58 PMI think maybe I fall into this category a bit. It's fun for me to search Google Maps by a zip code and see the crazy boundaries of why this town and this area fits and why another area doesn't.
I honestly didn't realize for the longest that the last two digits in zip codes were based on the towns in that district listed alphabetically. So my town of Woodworth is 71485 near the end while Aimwell with an A is 71401.
Louisiana contains 70 and 71 zip codes. Lowest is 70000 in Metairie and largest is 71497 in Natchitoches.
Shreveport, where I grew up, also has what I think is a unique thing related to zip codes. Most zip codes in Shreveport and Bossier City start with 711. Every zip there locally is pronounced "seven eleven ___" and my home address being pronounced "seven eleven oh seven". Even the few with different numbers at the end: 71111 is seven eleven eleven. 71129 is seven eleven twenty nine. I'm assuming it was always said that way because of the rhyme.
Are there any other areas of the US that don't pronounce each 5 numbers separately?
The plan is for first digit = Major Region
Next two = Major City
Last two = Zone Numbers within the city.
For rural, the gave major rural areas of the state the same next two.
It would have been counterproductive to assign numbers alphabetically.
Quote from: michravera on March 31, 2025, 10:18:29 AMQuote from: bassoon1986 on March 30, 2025, 06:46:58 PMI think maybe I fall into this category a bit. It's fun for me to search Google Maps by a zip code and see the crazy boundaries of why this town and this area fits and why another area doesn't.
I honestly didn't realize for the longest that the last two digits in zip codes were based on the towns in that district listed alphabetically. So my town of Woodworth is 71485 near the end while Aimwell with an A is 71401.
Louisiana contains 70 and 71 zip codes. Lowest is 70000 in Metairie and largest is 71497 in Natchitoches.
Shreveport, where I grew up, also has what I think is a unique thing related to zip codes. Most zip codes in Shreveport and Bossier City start with 711. Every zip there locally is pronounced "seven eleven ___" and my home address being pronounced "seven eleven oh seven". Even the few with different numbers at the end: 71111 is seven eleven eleven. 71129 is seven eleven twenty nine. I'm assuming it was always said that way because of the rhyme.
Are there any other areas of the US that don't pronounce each 5 numbers separately?
The plan is for first digit = Major Region
Next two = Major City
Last two = Zone Numbers within the city.
For rural, the gave major rural areas of the state the same next two.
It would have been counterproductive to assign numbers alphabetically.
There are clear examples though of zip codes being assigned alphabetically within a particular region however. For instance, these are in southern Wisconsin:
53525 CLINTON
53526 COBB
53527 COTTAGE GROVE
53528 CROSS PLAINS
53529 DANE
53530 DARLINGTON
53531 COTTAGE GROVE
53531 DEERFIELD
53532 DEFOREST
53533 DODGEVILLE
53534 EDGERTON
53535 EDMUND
53536 EVANSVILLE
53537 FOOTVILLE
53538 FORT ATKINSON
53540 GOTHAM
53541 GRATIOT
53543 HIGHLAND
53544 HOLLANDALE
Exactly. In cases where the Zip Codes aren't alphabetical, there's occasionally reasons why. Right off the bat based on the list below is Cherry Hill which is out of ABC order. Depending on the timing of both the renaming of Cherry Hill and the list of Zip Codes being created, both of which occurred in the early 1960s, it may have been easier to give Cherry Hill the more prominent 08002 & 08003. Delaware Township would have fit in ABC order, but Cherry Hill wouldn't have fit in between 08019 & 08020, leading to believe the Zip Code list came before the USPS changed the Zip Code due to the town name change. Yet, there's also a 08034 for Cherry Hill between 08033 & 08035, which may mean that Cherry Hill didn't even have a post office at first and used other town for their postal needs. But for the most part, it's clear that the list was done in alphabetical order.
08002 Cherry Hill
08003 Cherry Hill
08004 Atco
08005 Barnegat
08007 Barrington
08008 Beach Haven
08009 Berlin
08010 Beverly
08012 Blackwood
08014 Bridgeport
08015 Browns Mills
08016 Burlington
08019 Chatsworth
08020 Clarksboro
08021 Clementon
08022 Columbus
08026 Gibbsboro
08027 Gibbstown
08028 Glassboro
08029 Glendora
08030 Gloucester City
08032 Grenloch
08033 Haddonfield
08034 Cherry Hill
08035 Haddon Heights
08036 Hainesport
08037 Hammonton
08041 Jobstown
08043 Voorhees
08045 Lawnside
08046 Willingboro
08048 Lumberton
08049 Magnolia
08050 Manahawkin
08051 Mantua
08052 Maple Shade
08053 Marlton
08054 Mount Laurel
08055 Medford
08056 Mickleton
08057 Moorestown
08059 Mount Ephraim
08060 Mount Holly
08061 Mount Royal
08062 Mullica Hill
08063 National Park
08065 Palmyra
08066 Paulsboro
08067 Pedricktown
08068 Pemberton
08069 Penns Grove
08070 Pennsville
08071 Pitman
08075 Riverside
08077 Riverton
08078 Runnemede
08079 Salem
08080 Sewell
08081 Sicklerville
08083 Somerdale
08084 Stratford
08085 Swedesboro
08086 Thorofare
08087 Tuckerton
08088 Vincentown
08089 Waterford Works
08090 Wenonah
08091 West Berlin
08092 West Creek
08093 Westville
08094 Williamstown
08096 Woodbury
08097 Woodbury Heights
08098 Woodstown
When I had my old delivery job in Omaha, I pretty much memorized which parts of Omaha had what ZIP code because all the maps they had had the ZIP code markings. I seem to recall that Carter Lake, Iowa was out of alphabetical order for its area of Iowa due to its unique geography.
Quote from: bassoon1986 on March 30, 2025, 06:46:58 PMI honestly didn't realize for the longest that the last two digits in zip codes were based on the towns in that district listed alphabetically.
How had I not learned this until now?!
Wikipedia used to have a really excellent ZIP code chart, but it was destroyed by the deletionist mafia.
https://web.archive.org/web/20241126195036/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ZIP_Code_prefixes (https://web.archive.org/web/20241126195036/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ZIP_Code_prefixes)
This chart is really good for highlighting the oddities in the system, like "The Lakes, Nevada"—a paper town created because Citibank wanted to put a payment processing center in Las Vegas in the 80s, but pissed their britches at the thought of having customers associate them with Las Vegas. The horror.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 01, 2025, 09:29:23 PMWikipedia used to have a really excellent ZIP code chart, but it was destroyed by the deletionist mafia.
https://web.archive.org/web/20241126195036/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ZIP_Code_prefixes (https://web.archive.org/web/20241126195036/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ZIP_Code_prefixes)
This chart is really good for highlighting the oddities in the system, like "The Lakes, Nevada"—a paper town created because Citibank wanted to put a payment processing center in Las Vegas in the 80s, but pissed their britches at the thought of having customers associate them with Las Vegas. The horror.
Meanwhile, not only is Canada's chart still up, they have one for each letter of the alphabet.
There's an entire page (with maps) on Wikipedia for all 121 UK postcode areas describing where all the postcode districts are (and normally little else).
Eg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LD_postcode_area
This kind of reference book trivia is exactly what Wikipedia is both best suited to and what it does best. It would be silly to purge it.
Don't think this has been mentioned: In many larger cities, the last two digits of a zip code correspond to their postal district zone from the pre zip-code days. For example:
Los Angeles 27, Calif.
became
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 01, 2025, 09:29:23 PMWikipedia used to have a really excellent ZIP code chart, but it was destroyed by the deletionist mafia.
https://web.archive.org/web/20241126195036/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ZIP_Code_prefixes (https://web.archive.org/web/20241126195036/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ZIP_Code_prefixes)
I agree, that's a really excellent ZIP Code chart. It's a shame that it's not on Wikipedia anymore.
I really appreciate the logic of the ZIP Code numbering process. Most people probably don't realize that the first number in a ZIP Code indicates a group of states to which that state belongs. The first two numbers taken together are unique to that particular state. And the first three numbers taken together represent geographic regions within that state. That chart makes it very intuitive to understand.
It looks like some prefixes near more populated cities were deliberately unused, perhaps so there would be more prefixes to use if those cities or suburbs outgrew their main prefix? Like in Kansas City, Missouri, 641 is the main ZIP Code, but 642 and 643 are unused. And on the Kansas side suburbs, 662 is the main ZIP Code and 663 is unused.
In Omaha, 681 is the main ZIP Code and 682 is unused.
In Oklahoma City, 731 is the main ZIP Code and 732 is unused.
In Tulsa, 741 is the main ZIP Code and 742 is unused.
Even in Springfield, MO, 658 is the main ZIP Code and 659 is unused.
Interestingly, they did not do this in Wichita. Wichita is 672, but there is no unused prefix in the 67 series.
I find the Liberal, KS 679 ZIP Code region to be peculiar. It only exists in three counties and only has 7 ZIP Codes, two of which are in Liberal itself, one ZIP Code for the city and another ZIP Code for P.O. Boxes. I wonder why this region was not made part of the Dodge City 678 region.
Here's a good site that has a lot of accurate information about ZIP Codes:
https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/
Celina, TX will need a second ZIP code in a very short time. Its current post office was built when the city had a population of 2,000 and already it's almost maxed out.
The current ZIP code is 75009, but the city of Carrollton (originally 75008) has already laid claim to 75010 and 75011, so the next ZIP code available for Celina will be 75012.
Here's a fun fact, the abbreviated code for Nebraska used to be NB. In 1969, they changed it to NE to avoid confusion with the province of New Brunswick in Canada.
Ok here's another zip code geeky thing to find. What is the greatest numerical difference between two bordering zip codes? Because some states have pretty radical differences in regions. I always thought it was crazy that
A) Louisiana was in a district beginning with 7. Being nearly in the southeast, it seemed odd when most of the western US begins with 8 or 9.
B) Louisiana begins with 7, and neighboring Mississippi begins with 3
This is the best I've found:
72395 - Wilson, AR
borders
38015 -Gilt Edge, TN
A difference of 34380
Quote from: kalvado on March 31, 2025, 08:04:16 AMQuote from: NWI_Irish96 on March 31, 2025, 07:55:29 AMSchenectady has the stupidest ZIP Code I've ever heard of in my life! That's the kinda thing an idiot would have on his luggage!
If you're talking about 12345, that's not really Schenectady. And it is sort of a pride thing for those guys.
On the flip side, the area around Ohio State is 43210.
9-xxxx
9 the first digit for the West Coast.
90 and 91 are the second digits for Los Angeles County Specifically.
92 is for other parts of Southern
California
93 for Central California
94 for San Francisco Bay Area
95 Sacramento and California delta area
96 Northern California
97
98
99
Quote from: bing101 on April 04, 2025, 12:40:53 PM9-xxxx
9 the first digit for the West Coast.
90 and 91 are the second digits for Los Angeles County Specifically.
92 is for other parts of Southern
California
93 for Central California
94 for San Francisco Bay Area
95 Sacramento area
96 Northern California
97
98
99
Kinda - here's a little more detail:
90 - Los Angeles County (southwestern section)
91 - Los Angeles County (central section)
92 - San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside Counties
93 - Central California (including Fresno, Bakersfield, and Santa Barbara)
94 - Central and north Bay Area (including San Francisco and Oakland)
95 - South Bay Area, northern coast and Central Valley (including San Jose and Sacramento)
96 - Northern mountains, Hawaii, Pacific territories, Pacific military bases
97 - Oregon
98 - (most of) Washington
99 - Eastern Washington, Alaska
Quote from: bassoon1986 on April 02, 2025, 10:56:09 PMOk here's another zip code geeky thing to find. What is the greatest numerical difference between two bordering zip codes? Because some states have pretty radical differences in regions. I always thought it was crazy that
A) Louisiana was in a district beginning with 7. Being nearly in the southeast, it seemed odd when most of the western US begins with 8 or 9.
B) Louisiana begins with 7, and neighboring Mississippi begins with 3
This is the best I've found:
72395 - Wilson, AR
borders
38015 -Gilt Edge, TN
A difference of 34380
"Borders" since the only way to access one from the other is to either drive 2 hours via Memphis or boat across the river.
Quote from: Road Hog on April 04, 2025, 06:38:48 PMQuote from: bassoon1986 on April 02, 2025, 10:56:09 PMOk here's another zip code geeky thing to find. What is the greatest numerical difference between two bordering zip codes? Because some states have pretty radical differences in regions. I always thought it was crazy that
A) Louisiana was in a district beginning with 7. Being nearly in the southeast, it seemed odd when most of the western US begins with 8 or 9.
B) Louisiana begins with 7, and neighboring Mississippi begins with 3
This is the best I've found:
72395 - Wilson, AR
borders
38015 -Gilt Edge, TN
A difference of 34380
"Borders" since the only way to access one from the other is to either drive 2 hours via Memphis or boat across the river.
Well, that'll be most counties on either side of the MS River south of the Ohio 🤷🏼�♂️
Quote from: bassoon1986 on April 04, 2025, 07:26:14 PMQuote from: Road Hog on April 04, 2025, 06:38:48 PMQuote from: bassoon1986 on April 02, 2025, 10:56:09 PMOk here's another zip code geeky thing to find. What is the greatest numerical difference between two bordering zip codes? Because some states have pretty radical differences in regions. I always thought it was crazy that
A) Louisiana was in a district beginning with 7. Being nearly in the southeast, it seemed odd when most of the western US begins with 8 or 9.
B) Louisiana begins with 7, and neighboring Mississippi begins with 3
This is the best I've found:
72395 - Wilson, AR
borders
38015 -Gilt Edge, TN
A difference of 34380
"Borders" since the only way to access one from the other is to either drive 2 hours via Memphis or boat across the river.
Well, that'll be most counties on either side of the MS River south of the Ohio 🤷🏼�♂️
Not as impressive, but Helena, AR 72342 is a short drive from Dundee, MS 38626 for a change of 33716
Quote from: kalvado on April 04, 2025, 07:40:55 PMQuote from: bassoon1986 on April 04, 2025, 07:26:14 PMQuote from: Road Hog on April 04, 2025, 06:38:48 PMQuote from: bassoon1986 on April 02, 2025, 10:56:09 PMOk here's another zip code geeky thing to find. What is the greatest numerical difference between two bordering zip codes? Because some states have pretty radical differences in regions. I always thought it was crazy that
A) Louisiana was in a district beginning with 7. Being nearly in the southeast, it seemed odd when most of the western US begins with 8 or 9.
B) Louisiana begins with 7, and neighboring Mississippi begins with 3
This is the best I've found:
72395 - Wilson, AR
borders
38015 -Gilt Edge, TN
A difference of 34380
"Borders" since the only way to access one from the other is to either drive 2 hours via Memphis or boat across the river.
Well, that'll be most counties on either side of the MS River south of the Ohio 🤷🏼�♂️
Not as impressive, but Helena, AR 72342 is a short drive from Dundee, MS 38626 for a change of 33716
It's not directly bordering, but Metaline Falls, WA 99153 borders Bonners Ferry, ID 83805, which in turn borders Troy, MT 59935. That's a difference of 39218 with only one ZIP code in between.
Other countries, such as Spain, France, Italy and Germany, also use 5 digit post codes. In the case of France, the first two digits always match the department number (save for Corsica, which uses 20 through the entire island), and the fact Alpes de Haute Provence (department no. 04) borders Vaucluse (department no. 84) produce differences over 80000. Germany can have differences over 93000, thanks to post codes starting with 06 (covering most of southern Saxony Anhalt, as well as the area around Artern in Thuringia) abuting those starting with 99 (covering most of northern Thuringia).
I never paid much attention to Zip Codes until I worked for the Post Office. Then I realized as most here have pointed out that the last two digits were assigned mostly alphabetically. At least that's the case in the 980 Sectional Center, which is King County outside of Seattle.
Where I worked I saw a lot of mail intended for Monaco, the small country next to France. They also have a five digit numerical code, and all their codes start with 980. Even worse, I saw some international Monaco mail that was sent to Seattle, which means at least two people didn't look at the whole address before sending the package along. It took the long way around.
I'm not sure this is still the case though I'm guessing that it is, but I know there were places near the Mississippi River in Iowa that had their mail delivered from a PO in Illinois and therefore had an Illinois ZIP code.
Quote from: ErmineNotyours on April 06, 2025, 05:17:53 PMWhere I worked I saw a lot of mail intended for Monaco, the small country next to France. They also have a five digit numerical code, and all their codes start with 980.
I'm surprised they got 980 in the French system. 01-95 covers Metropolitan France+Corsica. 96xxx isn't used and then 97 is for Overseas Départements and Collectivities
- Guadeloupe - 971
- Martinique - 972
- French Guiana - 973
- Réunion - 974
- Saint-Pierre and Miquelon - 975
- Mayotte - 976
- Saint Barthélemy - 977
- Saint Martin - 978
With 98xxx being used for Overseas Territories.
- French Southern Territories - 984
- Wallis and Futuna - 986
- French Polynesia - 987
- New Caledonia - 988
So is Monaco an Overseas Territory? :P
Quote from: vdeane on April 07, 2025, 12:53:53 PMQuote from: english si on April 07, 2025, 04:28:10 AM96xxx isn't used
What is it reserved for?
It was previously used for somewhere in North Africa (the Protectorate of Morocco?), but unlike the 91xxx-95xxx codes also used in Africa until those countries gained independence, they didn't reuse it for new departments created in Metropolitan France by splitting previous ones*. Instead, the creation of a 96th Metropolitan Department by splitting Corsica into two in 1978, led to 20 remaining the postcodes, and 2A and 2B being the department codes.
*75 Seine and 78 Seine-et-Oise becoming 75 Paris, 78 Yvelines, 91 Essone, 92 Hauts-de-Seine, 93 Seine-Saint-Denis, 94 Val-de-Marne and 95 Val-d'Oise.
Quote from: english si on April 07, 2025, 02:05:57 PMQuote from: vdeane on April 07, 2025, 12:53:53 PMQuote from: english si on April 07, 2025, 04:28:10 AM96xxx isn't used
What is it reserved for?
It was previously used for somewhere in North Africa (the Protectorate of Morocco?), but unlike the 91xxx-95xxx codes also used in Africa until those countries gained independence, they didn't reuse it for new departments created in Metropolitan France by splitting previous ones*. Instead, the creation of a 96th Metropolitan Department by splitting Corsica into two in 1978, led to 20 remaining the postcodes, and 2A and 2B being the department codes.
*75 Seine and 78 Seine-et-Oise becoming 75 Paris, 78 Yvelines, 91 Essone, 92 Hauts-de-Seine, 93 Seine-Saint-Denis, 94 Val-de-Marne and 95 Val-d'Oise.
My guess would be Algeria (which was fully part of France for a while).
Quote from: vdeane on April 07, 2025, 09:31:12 PMQuote from: english si on April 07, 2025, 02:05:57 PMQuote from: vdeane on April 07, 2025, 12:53:53 PMQuote from: english si on April 07, 2025, 04:28:10 AM96xxx isn't used
What is it reserved for?
It was previously used for somewhere in North Africa (the Protectorate of Morocco?), but unlike the 91xxx-95xxx codes also used in Africa until those countries gained independence, they didn't reuse it for new departments created in Metropolitan France by splitting previous ones*. Instead, the creation of a 96th Metropolitan Department by splitting Corsica into two in 1978, led to 20 remaining the postcodes, and 2A and 2B being the department codes.
*75 Seine and 78 Seine-et-Oise becoming 75 Paris, 78 Yvelines, 91 Essone, 92 Hauts-de-Seine, 93 Seine-Saint-Denis, 94 Val-de-Marne and 95 Val-d'Oise.
My guess would be Algeria (which was fully part of France for a while).
that would be a bad guess as Algeria was definitely 91-93. Tunisia and Morocco had postal codes in the 94-96 range and I gather the order was Tunisia first, but didn't find anything proving it.