Overview and Explanation of ZIP Codes

ZIP Codes, five-digit numbers that represent small areas of the United States, were created by the United States Postal Service in 1963 to aid in the efficiency of delivering the ever-increasing volume of mail. The term ZIP is short for Zone Improvement Plan. The First Mail Coding System During World War II, the United States Postal Service (USPS) suffered from a shortage of experienced laborers who left the country to serve in the military. In order to deliver mail more efficiently, the USPS created a coding system in 1943 to divide delivery areas within the 124 largest cities in the country. The code would appear between the city and the state (e.g., Seattle 6, Washington). By the 1960s, the volume of mail (and population) had dramatically increased as a vast majority of the nations mail was no longer personal correspondence but business mail such as bills, magazines, and advertisements. The post office needed a better system to manage the huge quantities of material that moved through the mail each day.   Creating the ZIP Code System The USPS developed major mail processing centers on the outskirts of major metropolitan areas to avoid the transportation problems and delays of transporting mail directly to the center of cities. With the development of the processing centers, the  United States Postal Service established ZIP (Zone Improvement Program) Codes. The idea for a ZIP Code System originated with Philadelphia postal inspector Robert Moon in 1944. Moon thought that a new coding system was needed, believing that the end of mail by train was soon to come and instead, planes were to be a huge part of the mails future. Interestingly, it took nearly 20 years to convince the USPS that a new code was needed and to implement it. ZIP Codes, which were first announced to the public on July 1, 1963, were designed to help better distribute the growing amount of mail in the United States. Every address in the United States was assigned a specific ZIP Code. At this time, however, the use of ZIP Codes was still optional. In 1967, the use of ZIP Codes was made mandatory for bulk mailers and the public caught on quickly. In order to further streamline mail processing, in 1983 the USPS added a four-digit code to the end of ZIP Codes, the ZIP4, to break ZIP Codes into smaller geographic regions based on delivery routes. Decoding the Code The five-digit ZIP Codes begin with a digit from 0-9 that represents a region of the United States. 0 represents the northeastern U.S. and 9 is used for the western states (see list below). The next two digits identify a commonly linked transportation region and the last two digits pinpoint the correct processing center and post office.   ZIP Codes were created to expedite mail processing, not to identify neighborhoods or regions. Their boundaries are based on the logistical and transportation needs of the United States Postal Service and not on neighborhoods, watersheds, or community cohesion. It is troubling that so much geographic data is based and available based only on ZIP Codes.   Using ZIP Code-based geographic data is not an excellent choice, especially since ZIP Code boundaries are subject to change at any time and do not represent true communities or neighborhoods. ZIP Code data is not appropriate for many geographic purposes, but has, unfortunately, come to be the standard for dividing up cities, communities, or counties into different neighborhoods. It would be wise for data providers and mapmakers alike to avoid the use of ZIP Codes when developing geographic products but there is often no other consistent method of determining neighborhoods within the diverse geographies of the local political boundaries of the United States. The Nine ZIP Code Regions of the United States There are a handful of exceptions to this list where parts of a state are in a different region but for the most part, the states lie within one of the following nine ZIP Code regions: 0 - Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire,  Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey. 1 - New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware 2 - Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., North Carolina and South Carolina 3 - Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida 4 - Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky 5 - Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin 6 - Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas 7 - Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana 8 - Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Nevada 9 - California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii Fun ZIP Code Facts Lowest: 00501 is the lowest numbered ZIP Code, which is for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in Holtsville, New York Highest: 99950 corresponds to Ketchikan, Alaska 12345: The easiest ZIP Code goes to the headquarters of General Electric in Schenectady, New York Total Number: As of June 2015, there are 41,733 ZIP Codes in the U.S. Number of People: Each ZIP Code contains approximately 7,500 people Mr. Zip: A cartoon character, created by Harold Wilcox of the Cunningham and Walsh advertising company, used by USPS in the 1960s and 70s to promote the ZIP Code system. Secret: The President and the first family have their own, private ZIP Code that is not publicly known.

Movie Analysis Boys Don t Cry - 878 Words

Brandon Teena being trans man, that is, he was assigned female at birth but his gender identity is that of a man. He wasn’t entirely supported by his family throughout his struggle as a trans man. He was evicted from his cousin’s trailer. Teena Renae Brandon,or Brandon is also enduring a sexual identity crisis. His cousin did not understand Brandon’s identity crisis problem and just said that he was a lesbian. Zooming in on the events that take place in the film Boys Don’t Cry, one can have a deeper understanding of gender identity, by applying the ideas of Foucault and Queer Theory. Such main points considered from Foucoult and Queer Theory are the construction of homosexuality, Queer knowledges/Queer Performances and Scienta Sexualis. Boys don’t cry is not a film that only caters to the viewer’s pleaser, but a film that shows ones struggle with gender identity in a Midwestern society. Foucault’s idea of the Construction of Homosexual ity explains that homosexuality was born out of sodomy, the 16th century illegal act of sexual intercourse involving anal or oral copulation. Though there may have been homosexuals before then, he feels this constructed sexuality â€Å"was now a species.† (20) As opposed to a â€Å"temporary aberration.† (20) This idea of homosexuals being a whole different species plays a very similar role in Brandon Teena’s life in Lincoln, Nebraska where an entire city, including him, could not fathom what he was. It was as if he was a whole different species whoShow MoreRelatedThe Lord Of The Flies2490 Words   |  10 Pageswith absolute power just to keep ourselves safe. In the book Lord of the Flies by, William Golding there are a group of young innocent boys became witness and apart of the dark side of humanity. A group of boys had great hope when disaster struck and their plane crashed. They attempted to survive in an unsupervised and isolated environment. The young boys decided to elect a leader, Ralph. Ralph strived to establish rules for housing and sanitation however during their journey Jack challengesRead MoreLiving Beneath The Mask Of Toughness Essay2023 Words   |  9 Pagesthough it was small, all of my cousins and I would always be together playing. While my cousin and I were playing with Polly Pockets and doll houses as girls are expected to, I remember my boy cousin wanting to play with us. He would always love playing with toys and it didn’t matter to him if it was labeled as for a boy or for a girl. As long as he was having fun, he didn’t care what he played with or what color it was. Looking back now, I remember that the minute his step dad saw him playing with a pinkRead MoreDiary Of Anne Frank : Book Report1900 Words   |  8 Pagesemotions that occur day to day in her daily life. Her parents give it to her and she starts to log about her daily life and relationships with her friends and family. But what she doesn t realize is her diary docs her horrible life that she has in hiding during the holocaust. Within this book report, the analysis of the book will be given along with the summary of the book by chapter. In the first chapter of the Diary of Anne Frank, from dates June 14, 1942, to July 9, 1942, she starts to firstRead More Gender Depiction in Horror Films Essay2371 Words   |  10 PagesSapolsky). This is all believable, but there were three studies done in the past to prove that women were not the only ones singled out in slasher horror films to be the victim. In 1990, Cowan and OBrien selected 56 random horror films from local movie rental stores to analyze them and to test the assumption that women are victimized more so then men. These researchers found that there was not a big difference in the number of male victims to the number of female victims. Weaver found the sameRead MoreAutobilography of Zlatan Ibrahimovic116934 Words   |  468 Pages--------------------------------------------------------------------------- This book is dedicated to my family and friends, to those who have stood by my side, on good days and bad. I also want to dedicate it to all the kids out there, those who feel different and don t fit in. Those who are seen for the wrong reasons. It s OK to be different. Continue being yourself. It worked out for me. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 1 Pep Guardiola, the coach inRead MoreFrom Extravagant Movie Theatres to Lowly Bomba Houses: Investigating the Degeneration of City Spaces Along Claro M. Recto Avenue, Manila10891 Words   |  44 PagesABSTRACT Title: From extravagant movie theaters to lowly bomba houses: Investigating the degeneration of city spaces along Claro M. Recto Avenue, Manila There is a lack of understanding about the overall process of degeneration of city spaces in the Philippine setting, specifically along Claro M. Recto Avenue, Manila. This study addresses this concern by suggesting a functionalist approach, using the theories of Durkheim and Merton, in analyzing the negative consequences and implicationsRead MoreInside the Meltdown49737 Words   |  199 Pages12, 13 percent after two or three years. And they really weren t designed to be affordable after that reset. They were designed to prompt another refinancing, so you get another whole round of fees and, in some instances, prepayment penalties. They weren t designed to be a long-term sustainable product. Of course, you can only refinance if the housing market is going up, right? If you don t have any equity in your home, you can t refinance. And that s exactly what happened as the housing marketRead MoreHesi Practice31088 Words   |  125 Pagesretardation. 2. A client with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus has just learned she s pregnant. The nurse is teaching her about insulin requirements during pregnancy. Which guideline should the nurse provide? A. Insulin requirements don t change during pregnancy. Continue your current regimen. B. Insulin requirements usually decrease during the last two trimesters. C. Insulin requirements usually decrease during the first trimester. D. Insulin requirements increase greatlyRead MoreRace Film : The Great And Only Essay10250 Words   |  41 Pagesthrough conventional channels of production that were supported by White finances, and finally (though according to Cripps it was rare), films produced by White filmmakers whose work att racted the attention, if not the unconditional praise, of Black movie goers and critics (4). Cripps suggests that because of assimilation (which would include the participation of White filmmakers) the term â€Å"race film† becomes problematic. Moreover, given Cripps’ definition, the term â€Å"Black film† must be seen as a genreRead More Psychedelic Drugs (aka Psychedelics) Essay6131 Words   |  25 Pagesthe analysis of what he hears, Watts discovers that the nunsamp;#8217; response displays more than obedience- it is their shrewd way of playing the game of survival. amp;#8220;But this profoundly cynical view is only an intermediate stageamp;#8230; In the priestamp;#8217;s voice I hear down at the root the primordial howl of the beast in the jungle, but it has been inflected, complicated, refined, and textured with centuries of cultureamp;#8230; At first, crude and unconcealed, the cry for

Difference Between Black and White Free Essays

Audrey Edwards propagates her belief that blacks must only marry blacks for the simple reason that whites continue to feel superior to blacks because the latter were their slaves at one time. Apparently, the difference between the whites and the blacks of the United States is deep-rooted – going back to early America where Europeans had brought African slaves. Although slavery was abolished in the centuries to come, the huge socioeconomic difference between the white masters and their black slaves was to remain at the level of the subconscious mind of America. We will write a custom essay sample on Difference Between Black and White or any similar topic only for you Order Now From the subconscious mind to the culture of America – it was effortless for the â€Å"difference† between black and whites to make a transition. In a newspaper report published in the year 1957, the Governor of Arkansas maintained that peace was not possible without racial segregation, that is, without strict adherance to the concept of white privilege, which is defined as â€Å"a special advantage or benefit of white persons; with reference to divine dispensations, natural advantages, gifts of fortune, genetic endowments, social relations, etc.  (Clark)† Integration was virtually impossible, in other words, and racial tension was expected to rise as a result of the discussions about letting the African Americans and the whites study together in an academic institution (â€Å"Act To Block Integration in Arkansas†). After all, the concept of white privilege entailed that the whites were socially and intellectually superior to the blacks, and therefore could not study with those that were inferior to them. In a racial riot like the one that was expected back in 1957, the African Americans were expected to fight for their self-esteem. The white Americans, on the contrary, were expected to protect their notion of superiority by fighting back. It appears to be a fact that the â€Å"difference† was mainly maintained by the whites as opposed to the blacks. The blacks were fighting for equal rights during the Civil Rights Movement of America. In response to the racial abuses they had suffered at the hands of the whites who had considered themselves superior to their slaves of the past; the blacks had to be compensated by means of affirmative action. Affirmative action is defined as a â€Å"policy that gives a preference to individuals based upon their belonging to designated groups who are underrepresented not only in the most desirable occupational classes, but also in school admissions and government contracts. † Those who are underrepresented thus can be referred to as disadvantaged groups, seeing as they do not have a powerful representative voice to speak for their rights. The policy of affirmative action serves as a blessing for the disadvantaged groups for this reason, by not only adding extra points to the credit of the members of disadvantaged groups when performance evaluation is called for, but also by allocating extra funds to recruit such members of the community. Whereas the opponents of affirmative action claim that it is injustice to favor a group just because it is considered â€Å"disadvantaged,† proponents of the policy assert that affirmative action is necessary to right the wrongs of the past with respect to discrimination and/or racism (Boylan). In other words, in the absence of affirmative action, discrimination and/or racism may very well continue in almost any if not all spheres of life. The â€Å"difference† between whites and blacks has definitely seeped into the culture of America from its subconscious mind where the history of the nation is stored. If the whites of America had not used the services of black slaves in the past, there would have been no question of white privilege, and America would not have found it useful to combat racism with affirmative action. In actuality, white privilege translates into obvious racism, which is a belief system claiming that individuals can be superior to others solely on the basis of race. The theory of racism has led to much violence and genocide in the world. It was racism that led the Nazis to slaughter the Jews simply by believing that the latter were inferior. The theory of racism seems to have been applied everywhere in the world, even though universal values inform us that people who are superior are only those who do good in this world. Would universal values, therefore, be able to end the â€Å"difference†? The answer appears to be Yes. Even so, the collective memory of America will not be eradicated, and nobody can force the whites, in particular, to forget that the blacks were their slaves in the past. The â€Å"difference† is expected to be maintained at some level. Finally, it is worthy of note that without the great socioeconomic divide between the blacks and the whites in America’s early memories, there would have been no conflict whatsoever. How to cite Difference Between Black and White, Papers