Friday, April 13, 2012

USPS Fun Facts: Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know ... And More!

  • Highest elevation — Leadville, CO — 10,150 feet above sea level
  • Lowest elevation — Mecca, CA — 180 feet below sea level
  • Westernmost in US — Wales, AK
  • Easternmost in US — Lubec, ME
  • Southernmost in US — Key West, FL
  • Northernmost in US — Barrow, AK
  • Closest to the geographical center of the 50 United States — Belle Fourche, SD
  • Closest to geographical center of the 48 contiguous states — Lebanon, KS
  • Smallest — Ochopee Main Post Office, Ochopee, FL — 61.3 square feet
  • Largest — James A. Farley Post Office — New York, NY — 393,000 square feet
  • Oldest in same building — Hinsdale, NH, since 1816
  • 2nd oldest — Castine, ME, since 1833
  • Coldest — North Slope area of Alaska, including Barrow and Wainwright
  • Hottest — Death Valley, CA
  • Most extraordinary — Peach Springs, AZ, Post Office has walk-in freezers for food destined for delivery to the bottom of the Grand Canyon by mule train.
  • Most isolated — Located in the farthest reaches of northern Alaska, the Anaktuvuk Pass Post Office is the only link to the outside world for the 300 residents who live there. There are no roads; everything must be flown in.
  • Dual personality — Sitting on the border between TN and VA, the Post Office here has two different ZIP codes and serves customers in Bristol, TN, and Bristol, VA.
  • Most needing a bridge — The Point Roberts, WA, Post Office can be reached by car only by driving through British Columbia, Canada. Only a boat or float plane can travel directly there.
  • Clinton is the most common Post Office name. Madison is second, and Franklin and Washington are tied for third.
  • The five most common street names in the country are Second, Third, First, Fourth and Park
  • The longest Main Street in America is located in Island Park, ID (83429) — it's 33 miles long.
  • Franklin is the most common city name with 32 namesakes around the country. Tied for second place are Arlington, Clinton and Washington with 29 each and tied for third place, with 28 locations each, are Madison, Salem and Springfield.
  • The Postal Service has one of the largest learning management systems in the country.
  • The Postal Service receives 90 percent of its retail revenue from 10,000 of its nearly 32,000 postal-operated retail locations.
  • The Postal Service prints more than 720,000 IRS W-2 forms, 3.25 million payroll checks, 1.8 million non-payroll checks and 14.3 million payroll earnings statements annually.
  • Most Unusual Delivery Method — mule trains in AZ. Each mule carries about 130 pounds of mail, food, supplies and furniture down the 8-mile trail to the Havasupai Indians at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, averaging 41,000 pounds per week. 
  • Another Unusual Delivery Method — boat in MI. The JW Westcott is a 45-foot contract mail boat out of Detroit, MI, that delivers mail to passing ships in the Detroit River. The JW Westcott has its own ZIP Code — 48222. 
  • Another Unusual Delivery Method — dock-to-dock delivery on the Magnolia River in AL. A 17-foot Just the Fun Facts mail boat delivers to 180 dock-side mailboxes on a 29-mile stretch of the river. 
  • Located in MD, the William F. Bolger Center for Leadership Development is a national training facility for the Postal Service. It is the only hotel in the country featuring an on-site Smithsonian exhibit. 
  • There are more than 42,000 ZIP codes in the country. 
  • The lowest ZIP Code is 00501, a unique ZIP Code for the Internal Revenue Service in Holtsville, NY. 
  • The highest ZIP Code is 99950 in Ketchikan, AK. 
  • The easiest ZIP Code to remember is 12345, a unique ZIP Code for General Electric in Schenectady, NY. 
  • The longest rural delivery route is Route 2 in St. Paul, KS. The carrier travels 187 miles daily and delivers to 173 boxes. 
  • The shortest rural delivery route is in Veradale, WA. The carrier travels 2 miles daily and delivers to 445 boxes. 
  • The Postal Service moves mail using planes, trains, trucks, cars, boats, ferries, helicopters, subways, float planes, hovercrafts, T-3s, street cars, mules, bicycles and feet.

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