[RP TownTalk] this is crazy (USPS zipcode/name "system")

Fri Apr 6 01:41:47 UTC 2007

While I don't think it's worth an *enormous* effort, I think it would  
be a good idea to have us listed as *acceptable* for 20737 (I think  
we don't want to have "Riverdale Park" be the default for 20737, to  
distinguish the incorporated municipality from unincorporated county).

Probably the most efficient way to do this is write our congressional  
rep, Steny Hoyer, and ask him to get the post office to update their  
database ( (as suggested by Jim Coleman, while I was writing this  
note).  I've heard from friends who were congressional staffers that  
handwritten notes (yes, on paper) tend to work best.  Here's what I  
would write (and will, unless I get distracted, which is all too  
likely these days):
,
Dear Mr. Hoyer,

As I'm sure you know, the citizens of the Town of Riverdale voted in  
1998 to officially change the name of our town to "Riverdale Park."  
Recently a resident, Dwight Holmes, found out that "Riverdale Park"  
was not a known "city" name to the Postal Service for our ZIP code.   
He contacted the Postal Service to attempt to correct this, and was  
told that it was not possible.  I am hoping that you could help us to  
fix this situation, as the name of our town was legally changed  
almost a decade ago.  We would like to have "Riverdale Park" added to  
the Postal Service's lost of "acceptable names for ZIP code 20737";  
we understand that ZIP code 20737 covers much more than our town, and  
are not asking that the entire ZIP code be changed, just that we be  
recognized as a town within the ZIP code.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

SIncerely,

Alan K. Thompson

A half-dozen letters like this would probably get a result!

	Alan

On Apr 5, 2007, at 3:10 PM, Maureen Farrington wrote:

> I don't think there is any real use in pursuing any of this.  On NPR
> the other day in their traffic report, they described the section of
> the BW parkway by the 410 exit as being "in Hyattsville."
>
> Sure we could petiton USPS and google maps (who also doesn't know that
> Riverdale Park exists) but it doesn't matter.  We just need more
> publicity so that it enters the public consciousness as to which town
> is where.
>
> -Maureen
>
> On 4/4/07, Dwight Holmes <dwightrholmes at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 4/4/07, CHRISTINA DAVIS <book-smart at verizon.net> wrote:
>> Or perhaps in the
>>> intervening decade the post office has gotten easier to work with?
>>
>> The more i look at this, the more nonsensical and inconsistent the
>> USPS's system is.  Just in our area, we have small towns that have
>> their very own zipcode and don't share it with others (Bladensburg &
>> Mt Ranier).  Then, we have small towns on the zipcode marquee that
>> share with everybody (Hyattsville, College Park, Brentwood).  We have
>> at least one unincorporated "town" with its own zipcode (Lanham) and
>> then we have at least three incorporated towns like Riverdale Park
>> that not only don't get their own zipcode, but aren't even  
>> "acceptable
>> names" in the zipcode system.  That means if someone wants to write
>> you and is looking up your zipcode and knows you live in Riverdale
>> Park or Edmonston or *parts of* Cheverly they'll get confused. But
>> most confused of all if you live in Riverdale Park!!
>>
>> If you go to http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp and type in
>> Edmonston MD you get this:
>>
>> 20781    (EDMONSTON, MD IS NOT ACCEPTABLE - USE HYATTSVILLE)
>>
>> So your town isn't acceptable but at least it exists!
>>
>> But if you type in Riverdale Park MD you get this:
>>
>> We're sorry! We were unable to process your request.
>>
>> Please complete the field(s) indicated below.
>> * Required Fields
>> All field labels with a * are required
>> * City
>>
>>                 Please enter a city.
>>
>> So unlike Edmonston which exists but isn't acceptable, Riverdale Park
>> doesn't even exist. <sigh>
>>
>> Here's what I found while taking a look at the zipcodes and towns  
>> that
>> surround Riverdale Park, and a couple of other nearby ones.
>>
>> some results from area zipcodes from usps.com's zipcode search page
>> (http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown_zip.jsp) are below. the zipcode
>> map at http://www.hyattsvillewiki.com/page/Hyattsville+Zip+Code 
>> +Map is
>> also very useful!  (population and area are from wikipedia;
>> determination of which towns are incorporated is based on the ADC
>> map's use of yellow coloring of town areas)
>>
>> in sum we have:
>>
>> 1] Incorporated towns that appear to have a coterminus relationship
>> with their zipcode:
>> Mt Ranier (pop 8498, area .65 sq mi) (20712 -- no other towns or  
>> areas listed)
>> Bladensburg (pop 7661, area 1.0 sq mi) (20710 - no other town or  
>> areas listed)
>> (Why can't we be more like Bladensburg!?!)
>>
>> 2] Incorporated towns *not* recognized by the USPS zipcode system:
>> Riverdale Park (pop 6690, area 1.6 sq mi) (20737, as Riverdale)
>> Cheverly (20781, as Hyattsville -- but ok within 20784 and 20785)
>> Edmonston (20782, as Hyattsville)
>>
>> 3] Incorporated towns recognized as "acceptable":
>> University Park (20782)
>> Berwyn Heights (20740)
>> Colmar Manor (20722)
>> Cottage City (20722)
>> North Brentwood (spelled 4 different ways!) (20722)
>> Glenarden (20706)
>> Landover Hills (20784)
>> New Carrollton (20784)
>> Cheverly (20784 and 20785)
>>
>> 4] *Un*incorporated areas that are an "actual city name"
>> Lanham (20706)
>>
>> 5] *Un*incorporated areas recognized as "acceptable"
>> Chillum (20782)
>> West Hyattsville (20782)
>> Lanham Seabrook (20706)
>> Seabrook (20706)
>>
>> I pulled the above "actual," "acceptable" and "not acceptable" city
>> names in the USPS system zipcode searches
>> (http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown_zip.jsp) for the following:  
>> 20737,
>> 20782, 20781, 20740, 20722, 20710, 20712, 20706, 20785, 20784:
>>
>> 20737:
>> Actual City name in 20737
>> RIVERDALE, MD
>>
>> 20782:
>> Actual City name in 20782
>> HYATTSVILLE, MD
>> Acceptable City names in 20782
>> CHILLUM, MD
>> UNIVERSITY PA, MD
>> UNIVERSITY PARK, MD
>> W HYATTSVILLE, MD
>> WEST HYATTSVILLE, MD
>> Not Acceptable
>> AVONDALE, MD
>> GREEN MEADOW, MD
>> LEWISDALE, MD
>> PRINCE GEORGES METRO CTR, MD
>>
>> 20781:
>> Actual City name in 20781
>> HYATTSVILLE, MD
>> Not Acceptable
>> AVONDALE, MD
>> CHEVERLY, MD
>> EDMONSTON, MD
>> ROGERS HEIGHTS, MD
>> TUXEDO, MD
>>
>> 20740:
>> Actual City name in 20740
>> COLLEGE PARK, MD
>> Acceptable City names in 20740
>> BERWYN HEIGHTS, MD
>> BERWYN HTS, MD
>> Not Acceptable
>> BERWYN, MD
>> NORTH COLLEGE PARK, MD
>>
>> 20722
>> Actual City name in 20722
>> BRENTWOOD, MD
>> Acceptable City names in 20722
>> COLMAR MANOR, MD
>> COTTAGE CITY, MD
>> N BRENTWOOD, MD
>> NO BRENTWOOD, MD
>> NORTH BRENTWO, MD
>> NORTH BRENTWOOD, MD
>> Not Acceptable
>> BRENTWD, MD
>>
>> 20710
>> Actual City name in 20710
>> BLADENSBURG, MD
>>
>> 20712
>> Actual City name in 20712
>> MOUNT RAINIER, MD
>> Not Acceptable
>> MT RAINIER, MD
>>
>> 20706
>> Actual City name in 20706
>> LANHAM, MD  [which is not incorporated]
>> Acceptable City names in 20706
>> GLENARDEN, MD
>> LANHAM SEABROOK, MD
>> SEABROOK, MD
>>
>> 20785
>> Actual City name in 20785
>> HYATTSVILLE, MD
>> Acceptable City names in 20785
>> CHEVERLY, MD
>> LANDOVER, MD
>> N ENGLEWOOD, MD
>> NORTH ENGLEWOOD, MD
>> Not Acceptable
>> ARDMORE, MD
>> PALMER PARK, MD
>>
>> 20784
>> Actual City name in 20784
>> HYATTSVILLE, MD
>> Acceptable City names in 20784
>> CHEVERLY, MD
>> LANDOVER HILLS, MD
>> LANDOVER HLS, MD
>> NEW CARROLLTN, MD
>> NEW CARROLLTON, MD
>> Not Acceptable
>> LANHAM, MD
>>
>> Dwight Holmes
>> Riverdale PARK, MD
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>> For more information about Riverdale Park, visit http:// 
>> www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us
>>
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