90210 . SW19 . 150 - 6110 . What do these serial of characters have in vulgar ? They ’re all postal codes in specific areas of major cities — Los Angeles , London and Tokyo , respectively , if you were wondering .
Butwhat is a postal codeand what is its purpose ? Let ’s dig in .
What Are Postal Codes?
Most body politic use postal code , a series of letters or number ( or a combo of both ) that point to a postal address . They assure your package and chain armour delivery reach the right goal . In the United States , they are five characters long and go by the terminal figure " zip codification . "
apart from help mail carriers , your postal code information plays a role in your online transactions . When filling out your payment information , an online store will often call for for your credit entry card ’s charge address as an extra layer of protection against fraudulent activity .
" Some merchants may ask for nothing code as a security measure , " according toCapital One . " It ’s part of the authorization outgrowth when you use your credit card to make a leverage . If your card is steal and all they have is your name and credit card number , it may prevent an wildcat leverage from take place since they likely do n’t know your zippo code . "
Origins of the Postal Code
According to theGuinness World Record ’s page for the “ first enjoyment of postal codes , ” Sir Rowland Hill proposed the postal code system for London .
The original code divided London along10 section , such as WC for Western Central , N for North and S for South . The system drop dead into effect in 1857 and help speed up the distribution of local letters .
The Birth of Zip Codes
The United States useszip codification , and there are presently 41,704 codes charge to different bringing point across the country .
The zip stands for " Zone Improvement Plan , " a 1963 program to enhance post sorting and deliver mail more expeditiously . It did more to key out positioning ; postal codification also made it easier to establish posting itinerary .
The U.S. Postal Service started using postcode codes on July 1 , 1963 . This newfangled system curve down on the amount of sorting — ring armour antecedently went through about 17 stops — for postal service offices . energy codes exchange an older system that eventually became too cumbersome as the need for more postal zones increased .
Deciphering U.S. Zip Codes
The five figure each correspond to aspecific area . For example , the first digit ranges from 0 to 9 and is for the oecumenical area . The number 0 is for the Northeast area , and 9 is for the West Coast , Hawaii and Alaska . The two figure that follow are for the regional domain and the last two numbers are for the post office or postal zone .
Modern - twenty-four hours postal codes in the United States have remained mostly the same , though some variety have take beginning . For example , in 1983 , there was an summation of the +4 Code , the four additional digit that follow a zip code , which made post code even more specific and pitch more expedient .
99701: The Jolliest Zip Code
To help bring attention to the five - digit zipper code , the Post Office enlisted Santa Claus ' help . It encourage nestling to address letters to Santa with his new zipper computer code : 99701 .
