Postal Codes

elaine: 23rd Apr 2005 - 06:27 GMT

you really are mental. how far can you take this obsession? also what is zip, actually? now that I think about it, zip?

USPS: 26th Apr 2005 - 22:16 GMT

ZIP is an acronym that stands for "Zone Improvement Plan." the numbers specify a location in decending order of size (city ----> side of street) and reduce the number of handlings, significantly decreasing the potential for error and possibility of misdelivery.

Jamie: 27th Apr 2005 - 05:42 GMT

The post code for cross street lisnaskea is BT92 0JE

elaine: 27th Apr 2005 - 07:27 GMT

Ah! I like knowing that. There has been a long rambling contribution on a radio show here about how they sent blokes out after WW2 to plot the post codes, how some people ened up with two, with hilarious consequences, that kind of thing. It is called Home Truths on BBC Radio 4, and they've got all of them back catalogued if anyone is obsessive enough...

elaine: 27th Apr 2005 - 10:23 GMT

oh god, I'm being drawn in now... someone just told me E1, E2 E14 etc is not based on centrality but on alphabet. Secretly though, I think they prioritise namings to uphold centrality, E1 is Aldgate, but it could equally be Shadwell or Wapping, but Aldgate puts it mist central, where it belongs...
even more obscurely there is no NE in London because that is used by Newcastle (provincial towns use the beginning letter(s) of their name

hasslehoff: 27th Apr 2005 - 10:39 GMT

i remember when they introduced the new sw1 postcodes with extra suffixes. it really messed up our automated despatch processes. You simply couldn't enter SW1P XXX into it bloody postcode field. Amtrak had to come round and reprogam our machine.

elaine: 27th Apr 2005 - 10:59 GMT

computerised forms often don't like E1 or E2 because all of the others have 2 letters in the field. it messes up buying online

Peter: 27th Apr 2005 - 15:07 GMT

fascinating. but hasslehoff, they have amtrak in the uk?

hasslehoff: 27th Apr 2005 - 15:09 GMT

yes, but they're just like ups and fedex, they don't run trains here

EvilGentleman: 2nd May 2006 - 23:38 GMT

The first letters of Canadian postal codes denote the province or territory (or portion thereof) that the address is within, much like North American telephone area codes. The codes are:

A - Newfoundland and Labrador
B - Nova Scotia
C - Prince Edward Island
D - not assigned
E - New Brunswick
F - not assigned
G - Quebec (East)
H - Quebec (Montreal Island, Laval, Ile Bizard, Akwesasne); North Pole
I - not assigned
J - Quebec (West and North)
K - Ontario (East)
L - Ontario (Central)
M - Ontario (Toronto)
N - Ontario (Southwest)
O - not assigned
P - Ontario (North)
Q - not assigned
R - Manitoba
S - Saskatchewan
T - Alberta
U - not assigned
V - British Columbia
W - not assigned
X - Northwest Territories, except:
X0A, X0C, X0E - Territory of Nunavut
Y - Yukon Territory
Z - not assigned

Canadian Postal Codes are made of the following format: Starting with the letter designating the part of the country, then alternating numbers and letters in the format of A2A 2A2 .The first 3 digits are known as FSA's (I think for "Forward Sorting Areas"), and each FSA describes a certain area. Patterns are more general in nature, but generally, similarly-named FSA's are close to one another. Canada Post has extensive information at www.canadapost.ca/cpc2/addrm/hh/current/indexp/tpALL-e.asp.

zagg: 1st Mar 2007 - 04:52 GMT

Random Zagg Fact: I used to live in an area's which the postal code is n0n 1e0 ... so I would get mail that had my address including "Nonieo" from people who didn't understand how Canadian postal codes work.

fuzzytank: 4th Apr 2007 - 08:37 GMT

zip-code to the Grand Canyon is: 86023.awesome