You’ve definitely heard of Zip codes, but have you ever thought about how they may assist you to find homes for sale? A Zip Code is made up of nine digits, three letters, and four integers that offer an address for a specific area.
Continue reading to find out what is a ZIP Code and why is it such a vital part of our postal system today?
What Is a Zip Code?
When and where was the first zip code issued? Since 1963, the United States Postal Service has employed the ZIP Code postal code system. “ZIP Code” is an abbreviation for Zone Implementation Plan. When senders utilize a five-digit postal address code, the mail is sent more efficiently and swiftly, hence the name. The normal postal code format consists of five digits. The expanded code “ZIP+4” was adopted in 1983, with five digits, a hyphen, and four digits added to more properly identify destinations. The term “zip code” was authorized as a service mark by the United States Postal Service, but it has since expired. Where Was the First Zip Code Issued?
Where Was the First Zip Code Issued?
Adjuntas in Puerto Rico received the very first ZIP Code – or, at least, the very first five-digit ZIP Code – ever utilized by the United States Postal Service.
This was due to the ZIP Code system being fully welcomed and implemented in 1963, and the zone maps prepared by the US had Puerto Rico as the “first” portion of the US, with the map traveling from right to left across the country.
The first ZIP Code in the United States was 00601, designating a large portion of Puerto Rico as the first Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP).
As previously stated, the number of ZIP Codes began to increase from the East Coast to the West Coast, with ZIP Codes such as 01001 assigned to Agawam, Massachusetts and 90210 assigned to Beverly Hills, California.
Surprisingly, the lowest ZIP Code number in the USPS system right now is 00501, which is assigned to the Internal Revenue Service in Holtsville, New York.
The highest ZIP Code number in the USPS system is 9950, which was assigned to Ketchikan, Alaska — the westernmost point according to the Zone Improvement Plan mapping scheme.
How Do Zip Codes Get Assigned?
One of the most fundamental things to understand is that ZIP Codes are not issued or assigned by any particular border on a typical US map.
Many people believe that ZIP Codes are assigned by the state, or that distinct state and town borders help to separate and define different ZIP Code numbers that are associated with different regions.
That is absolutely not the case.
Instead, ZIP Codes have been divided and assigned in accordance with the Zone Improvement Plan devised by the United States Postal Service to better distinguish different delivery routes inside their own internal systems.
However, when you start comparing different ZIP Codes on a map—such as the ZIP Code.
Many individuals are astonished to find this, not realizing that the entire ZIP Code system was designed to increase overall postal efficiency and delivery.
Structure
Postal codes are used in the United States to identify delivery places as well as overseas stations, which include military bases. Under the terms of the Free Association Agreement, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the autonomous nations of the United States of Micronesia have integrated ZIP codes into the United States Postal System. Similarly, correspondence delivered overseas to any US diplomatic post is processed as if it were addressed to a Washington, DC address.
Diplomatic mail is identified by a four-digit PO box number, which serves not only as the house number, but also as the city number in which the embassy is located, and in conjunction with the term “place,” which makes the street name.
Zip codes are often represented by digits that begin with the first digit and indicate a specific set of US states. The region in the group is represented by the second and third digits, followed by alphabetical order and numerical order. Although the purpose of postcodes was to transport mail in a systematic manner, there are a few instances where postcodes may extend outside national boundaries, such as military sites.
What’s the Zip Code +4 System?
While the original ZIP Code platform did brilliantly in the 1960s to make mail delivery much easier and more efficient, the USPS decided in 1983 (20 years after adopting the five-digit ZIP Code) to improve the system even more.
The USPS chose to add +4 to the end of their ZIP Code designs in 1983, making these ZIP Codes a full nine-digit code and speeding up deliveries even further.
These extra four digits are now used to mark multiple delivery segments along different streets, city blocks, and even apartment groups—especially if one location or another has a significant volume of mail that needs to be delivered.
Again, this has nothing to do (necessarily) with geographic borders or the like.
You may have two apartment buildings directly next to each other in downtown Boston, and if both get substantial volumes of mail on a regular basis, the chances are that each has its own +4 ZIP Code designation.
However, if the apartment building on the left was constructed in the 1990s and the apartment building on the right was constructed in the 2000s, the chances of them having consecutive +4 ZIP Code designations (despite the fact that they are physically located next to one another and may have consecutive street addresses) are slim to none.
Conclusion
You’ve definitely heard of Zip codes, but have you ever thought about how they may assist you in finding homes for sale? A Zip Code is made up of nine digits, three letters, and four integers that offer an address for a specific area.
Continue reading to find out what a ZIP Code is, where the first one was issued, and why it is such a vital part of our postal system today.
