Planet Money ZIP Codes!
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Jan 8, 2025 The journey through ZIP codes reveals their quirky history and unexpected significance in daily life. Discover how they evolved from WWII mail sorting to vital components of the economy. Unique stories surface, like a mail service for boats in Detroit and the cultural oddities tied to specific codes. Social research exploits zip codes for insights into crime and disease, but complexities arise. And in Scotland, CT, multiple ZIP codes complicate everything from mail delivery to health data, highlighting the deeper impacts of these simple numbers.
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Empire State Building Zip Code
- Sally Helm ran the length of zip code 10118, located entirely within the Empire State Building.
- This took her 3 minutes and 40 seconds, highlighting the sometimes small and unusual nature of zip code zones.
Zip Code Impact
- Zip codes impact daily life, appearing in credit card transactions and rental searches.
- In 2013, they contributed an estimated $10 billion to the U.S. economy.
Quirky Zip Codes
- The lowest zip code is 00501, exclusively for the IRS in Holtzville, New York.
- The President, Santa, and Smokey Bear have unique zip codes, and a Michigan zip code covers three mail boats.