Happt Birthday, Mr. Zip

Zip-a dee-do da!  I'm excited..... 2013 is the 50th anniversary year of the invention of the zip code. Yes, I know that with all the electronic communication today there is a step decline in snail mail, but the zip code should get a mention or two of praise for all the good it did in speeding up the delivery of mail here in the U.S., and in every other country (since they all adopted the zip code in their own countries). So for those born after 1963, they  have never known anything mailing format except the zip code. But for oldies like me who remember when the zip code system first started this is a big anniversary. 

Hmmm I can actually remember the first time I used a zip code on a letter. It was considered a clever and high tech invention at the time. In 1963, the Postal Department selected a system advanced by department officials after trying many others that didn't measure up. Since developing the zip code was a collaborative effort from within the Post Office no body ever got credit for inventing it (though some try to credit a postal employee named Robert Moon with inventing it). That in itself makes it a unique discovery. Surely today, every invention has many who claim it and, of course, they all want to profit off the idea invented. Anyway,  the ZIP Code which stands for mailing 'zoning improvement plan',  begin on July 1, 1963. A five digit code had been assigned to every address throughout the country. The first digit designated a broad geographical area of the United States, ranging from zero for the Northeast to nine for the far West. This was followed by two digits that more closely pinpointed population concentrations and those sectional centers accessible to common transportation networks. The final two digits designated small post offices or postal zones in larger zoned cities.

We oldies know about Mr. Zip, who seems long gone now from public view. The Post Office Department introduced Mr. Zip, who was a friendly looking cartoon character, to give personality to the ZIP Code campaign. Mr. Zip’s main job was to make the idea of the ZIP Code stick in the minds of Americans and to pass on the message that ZIP Code use would lead to faster, more efficient mail delivery for the entire country. Sigh, but I  guess if Mr. Zip were still in use in today's politically correct world, Mr. Zip would have to be transgendered and simple called "Zippy".

Here are some zip code facts that might interest you.

- The White House, the World Trade Center (prior to Sept. 11), Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, and most recently, Dodgertown in California are all places that have their own private zip code.. Smokey Bear also received his own code at the height of the "Only you can prevent forest fires" campaign in 1964 ( it's 20252). - There are a total of 41, 812 zip codes in the United States. The average population in a zip code is 7473, with the most populous zip code area being the El Paso, Texas zip code of 79936. That one has 116,860 people in it.  I guess they either have more mail carriers there or people get their mail later than does the rest of the country.

- If you want to send a letter or live in the priciest zip code in the U.S. it would be sent to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC. The average house there costs over 6  1/2 million dollars. I think I will mail to that zip rather than buy property there.

- There is no requirement to place a zip code on a letter. But if you don't, be prepared for a long wait for delivery.

Happy Birthday Mr. Zip!