Distribute Zip Code Article For Free

What each number means. The first digit designates a broad area, which ranges from zero for the Northeast to nine for the far West. The two following digits are the code of a central post office facility in that region. The last two digits designate small post offices or postal zones.

So what do the extra numbers mean? These last 4 digits represent specific delivery routes within delivery areas. This extra detail means an even more precise matching to a more granular level. It could represent a handful of houses on one side of a street, or even a single building that receives a high volume of mail.

ZIP Codes are numbered with the first digit representing a certain group of U.S. states, the second and third digits together representing a region in that group (or perhaps a large city) and the fourth and fifth digits representing a group of delivery addresses within that region.

In 1963 the Post Office Department introduced and vigorously promoted the use of the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) Code. The code was originally intended to allow mail sorting methods to be automated but ended up creating unimagined socio-economic benefits as an organizing and enabling device.

The first number, between 0-9, denotes a geographic area of the U.S. The second two numbers of a zip code specify a specific region within that geographic area and the last two are meant to indicate a specific Post Office.

Each ZIP Code is classified as predominately Rural, Urban, or Suburban based on three key factors: population density (people per square mile), distance from nearest city, and size of the nearest city (suburban areas for larger cities extend greater distances).

ZIP is an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan. However, the USPS intentionally chose the acronym to indicate that mail travels more quickly when senders mark the postal code on their packages and envelopes. It makes sense that the term ZIP code would be related to being zippy, which means ?lively? or ?peppy.?