Geographic Names Information System: National Geographic Names Data Base, Populated Places in the United States (Phase II)

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is anautomated data system developed by the United States Geological Survey(USGS) to standardize and disseminate information on geographic names.GNIS provides primary information for all known places, features, andareas in the United States identified by proper name. The data filedescribed here is a standard report file written from the NationalGeographic Names Data Base that lists all populated place records inGNIS for the United States. The entries are sorted by state and thenlisted alphabetically by feature name. Information provided includesthe official placename, the feature type, the Federal InformationProcessing Standards (FIPS) code referencing the state, the principalcounty in which the place is located, the geographic coordinates (indegrees, minutes, and seconds) that locate the approximate originalcenter of the place, the year of any pertinent United States Board onGeographic Names activity regarding the placename or its application,and a reference to the 1:24,000-scale USGS topographic map on which thefeature is portrayed. The elevation in feet is given if available, asis the 1980 Census population figure.