This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by Michael Cote. Original Post: Zipcodes Eliminate Need for City and State? Feed Title: Cote's Weblog: Coding, Austin, etc. Feed URL: https://cote.io/feed/ Feed Description: Using Java to get to the ideal state. Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by Michael Cote Latest Posts From Cote's Weblog: Coding, Austin, etc.

I've always wondered, when giving your address, why do you need to give the city and state if you're giving the zip code? Obviously, if you're communicating with a human, you'd give the city and state because a zip code is meaningless unless the person can look up what city and state the zip code is in.

But, if you're giving your address to a computer, there doesn't seem to be a need to give anything but your zip code: the computer can look up your city and state instantly. The same goes for sending mail: why does the post office need the city and state on there? The zip code should be enough. Indeed, that seems like the whole point of a zip code: to remove the need for city and state.