Your Post Code Is the Directions, Not the Destination

CGP Grey4 HN recommenders · recommended in 4 months, 2025–2025

YouTube

explainer · general · evergreen · 2025–2025 on HN

CGP Grey explains that postal codes are routing instructions for mail rather than geographic regions. He looks at the quirks and problems this causes.

HN recommends it whenever zip codes, addresses or geospatial data come up, as a clear explanation of the hidden pattern in post codes.

Business & economics (other)Ideas & learning (other)#zipcodes #addresses #geography #postalsystem

4 comments from Hacker News

@cogman102025-09 · in “Zip Code Map of the United States”

If you find this interesting and you haven't watched it, Go watch "The hidden pattern in post codes" [1] [1] ▶ this video

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@Arnavion2025-05 · in “Japan Post launches 'digital address' system”

See also this CGP Grey video where he talks about post codes / zip codes in general and mentions Ireland's system. ▶ this video

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@schlauerfox2025-04 · in “I wrote to the address in the GPLv2 license notice (2022)”

CGP Grey, a youtube channel, has a video on some of the problems of the postal codes and addresses from earlier this year that I learned about alternates to my familiar US based system. ▶ this video

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@jpjoi2025-02 · in “Stop using zip codes for geospatial analysis (2019)”

Zip codes are just weird to use for anything other than mail in general because they’re set up based off infrastructure. CGP Grey has a great video on this: ▶ this video

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