Why Long Island can not be a mailing address (New York: transfer, to buy)

[Walter Greenspan]

The Postal Divisioning of Long Island:

In addition to the geographic confusion caused by non-conforming postal zones (ZIP Codes), there are also the less well known but equally important problems caused by non-conforming postal districts/divisions (postal processing centers).

Nassau County is the only county in the U.S. that is divided into 3 Postal processing divisions.

These 3 Postal Divisions are:

(1) all '110' ZIP Code (most of western and north-mid-western Nassau County) mail is processed in and receives a Flushing, NY or, in some cases, a Jamaica, NY cancellation mark;

(2) all '115' ZIP Code (central Nassau County) mail is processed in East Garden City and receives a Western Nassau cancellation mark; and,

(3) all '117' and '118' ZIP Code (eastern Nassau County) mail is processed in Melville and receives a Long Island cancellation mark along with all Suffolk County '119' ZIP Code mail, except for the island Hamlet of Fishers Island in the Town of Southhold that has a Connecticut mailing address. (Yes, Fishers Island in New York has a 06390 Connecticut ZIP Code.)


This 3 Postal division organization means that Nassau and Suffolk will not be able to obtain from the U.S. Postal Service a "Long Island" cancellation mark nor a "Long Island" mailing address for all outgoing Nassau and Suffolk County mail. Secondly, it means that intra-divisional mail will take an extra 2 or 3 days for double-processing as it is shifted from one processing center to another before delivery.

When the USPS reports on the efficiency of "Long Island" mail delivery they are only measuring the on-time performance for the "115" and higher ZIP Code groups. Thus, the USPS has the smallest definition of what constitutes "Long Island" and secondly, by not including the intra-divisional transfer of mail from Melville and/or East Garden City to Flushing and vice versa, the USPS overstates by a significant percentage their "on time" statistic.

Thirdly, it means that any mailer -- public or private -- has to purchase 3 different mailing permits (one in any Postal Office in each of the 3 separate Divisions) in order for mail to be simultaneously received in all parts of Nassau and Suffolk County.

For example, mail sent from, say, Hicksville, NY 11803* to Manhasset, NY 11030 must first go to Melville, then to Flushing and then to the address in the Manhasset postal zone. This double-shifting of the mail from one division to another before its delivery, adds a day or two versus inter-divisional mail.

Thus, the mailer in Hicksville would have to buy a permit good in the '110' area in addition to the permit for the '118' area and truck the '110' mail to any '110' postal zone, in order for all mail going to either ZIP Code group to arrive on the same day. Should the mailer in Hicksville also want to mail to the '115' group ZIP Codes, then a mailing permit in any of those postal zones must also be purchased.


* Plainview is a branch of the Hicksville Post Office, and thus while the post office allows people to use "Plainview, NY 11803", it is really "Hicksville, NY 11803".

[BuffaloTransplant]

Hi, Walter,
I am transplanted from the "115" zip area to the "142" and "140" areas of upstate.
I have never "gotten" the concept of people saying that people live " in LI, NY ".
You live in a town on LI, in the state of NY ("town" here as generic, since not all towns are towns, they may be hamlets to full size towns, etc.). Though this is on the LI thread, I don't think anyone ever realizes these things... until they live in an area which is not their mailing address.... My one sister technically lives & pays her town and county taxes in a 142 town but her school and mail has a 140 zip... go figure; the village she lives in is in 2 separate towns.
I noticed on another LI thread that someone was taken aback by your statistics. Personally, I like them.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by BuffaloTransplant

Hi, Walter,
I am transplanted from the "115" zip area to the "142" and "140" areas of upstate.
I have never "gotten" the concept of people saying that people live " in LI, NY ".
You live in a town on LI, in the state of NY ("town" here as generic, since not all towns are towns, they may be hamlets to full size towns, etc.). Though this is on the LI thread, I don't think anyone ever realizes these things... until they live in an area which is not their mailing address.... My one sister technically lives & pays her town and county taxes in a 142 town but her school and mail has a 140 zip... go figure; the village she lives in is in 2 separate towns.
I noticed on another LI thread that someone was taken aback by your statistics. Personally, I like them.

Thank you, I appreciate your kind comments.

Now, in case you did not see some of my prior postings made on the New York State forum, for some real special (some may call, "quirky") municipalities in NYS (none of which are on LI, which is already crazy enough, I guess):

http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-y...lages-nys.html


And, then there is the Village of Saranac Lake, the most unique village in New York State:

Some 75 or so villages are located in two or more towns. There are 7 villages which are in two counties. Only one village, the Village of Saranac Lake (incorporated in 1892), is in 3 towns and 2 counties:

Parts of the Village of Saranac Lake are in the Town of North Elba and the Town of St. Armand in Essex County and parts of the Village of Saranac Lake are in the Town of Harrietstown in Franklin County.

The village is named after the Upper, Middle and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby, but not in the village (Lower Saranac Lake is a half mile west of the village). The northern reaches of Lake Flower, which is part of the Saranac River, lie within the village.

The Town of Saranac is an entirely separate entity, 33 miles to the northeast.

[AlexisT]

Sorry to bump this--but Walter, I just checked the USPS website. "Hicksville, NY" is NOT acceptable for 11803. (Do a search for "find all cities in ZIP")

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by AlexisT

Sorry to bump this--but Walter, I just checked the USPS website. "Hicksville, NY" is NOT acceptable for 11803. (Do a search for "find all cities in ZIP")

AlexisT, good question.

This quandary may be resolved by the answer to the question:

Is "Plainview, NY 11803" a post office with a postmaster, or is "Plainview, NY 11803" a postal branch with a branch manager?

If "Plainview, NY 11803" is still a branch with a branch manger, then it is a branch of the "Hicksville, NY 11800 through 118??" post office, and it really is "Hicksville, NY 11803", but which the USPS, an agency that specializes in being disingenuousness, promotes as "Plainview, NY 11803".

[BigMike50]

Originally Posted by Walter Greenspan

AlexisT, good question.

This quandary may be resolved by the answer to the question:

Is "Plainview, NY 11803" a post office with a postmaster, or is "Plainview, NY 11803" a postal branch with a branch manager?

If "Plainview, NY 11803" is still a branch with a branch manger, then it is a branch of the "Hicksville, NY 11800 through 118??" post office, and it really is "Hicksville, NY 11803", but which the USPS, an agency that specializes in being disingenuousness, promotes as "Plainview, NY 11803".

Who's on first?

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by Walter Greenspan

AlexisT, good question.

This quandary may be resolved by the answer to the question:

Is "Plainview, NY 11803" a post office with a postmaster, or is "Plainview, NY 11803" a postal branch with a branch manager?

If "Plainview, NY 11803" is still a branch with a branch manger, then it is a branch of the "Hicksville, NY 11800 through 118??" post office, and it really is "Hicksville, NY 11803", but which the USPS, an agency that specializes in being disingenuousness, promotes as "Plainview, NY 11803".

Old Bethpage is 11804

All three should each have a PostMaster.

Stony Brook (Hamlet) is 11790
Stony Brook University is 11794

Uni mail used to come through the 11790 facility for processing before being sent to the Uni mail room for further sorting and distribution.

That might once have been the situation with Hicksville handling Plainview and Old Bethpage.

[AlexisT]

Well, as it happens, I'll be at the Old Bethpage post office tomorrow (it's my closest branch). I shall look to see if there's a sign about the management.

I do know that there's no visible indications that it's a sub post office or anything of that nature (and the USPS website doesn't say), and Plainview offers the full array of services including passport applications.

[OhBeeHave]

Plainview was full service when I worked in the area 20 years ago. I never was at OB.
Zip codes are over 40 years old and reflect regional mail handling from that era.
The zip code breaks down like this:
1 - region in the country
17, 18 or 19 -- the sorting facility
the 4th and 5th digit represent the area serviced.

118 mail was once processed in Hicksville and sent to post offices assigned 118.

Historically, Hicksville was a bigger town, so the 118 situation probably stems from that fact. A doctor for whom I worked, told me about practicing out in Plainview and Syosset and how the roads in the developments weren't paved. Hicksville had paved roads and all the shopping.

[longislandmike]

Originally Posted by AlexisT

Well, as it happens, I'll be at the Old Bethpage post office tomorrow (it's my closest branch). I shall look to see if there's a sign about the management.

I do know that there's no visible indications that it's a sub post office or anything of that nature (and the USPS website doesn't say), and Plainview offers the full array of services including passport applications.

If there is NO name, there is no ONE to complain to !

5 points, for trying !