On 11/12/10 8:55 AM, Nathan Edgars II wrote:
On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 8:26 AM, Richard Welty<[email protected]> wrote:
zip codes don't properly correspond to geographic areas, that they
do is a common misconception. the USPS does not provide such
maps. i have seen maps which claim to show such boundaries but
they are all guesses by the mapmaker.
I know the zip codes are (more or less) what mailboxes a certain post
office serves. But if you add together all the lots those mailboxes
are on, you get a geographic area.
my understanding is that the post office wishes to keep that
information strictly under their control, via products they publish,
so they can change things when needed and publish revised
versions of their products. so the zip code directories in the POs are
official because they can be pulled and replaced when the USPS
wants, the pocket ones you can buy in some office supply stores
not so much.
i guess it's like any other admin boundary, it's subject to change.
who is going to maintain it, or will it be allowed to slowly
deteriorate and become obsolete? if the rate of change is low,
maybe that's not an issue.
richard
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