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US Post Codes
The American Zip code, devised in (0) response to changing (16) postal needs, has been around for some time. Between 1900 and the year of its (17) inroduse the quantity and nature of US mail changes. Its volume increased by 900% and most of it became business, rather than personal, (18) substance An acronym for Zoning Improvement Ptn, the Zip system speeds up the sorting and delivering of mail, especially
bilk mail. (19 ) brief, it consists of five numbers after the address. The first digit identifies one of ten broad (20) geocraphical areas. The next two numbers designate a metropolitan area or sectional centre. The final two numbers stand for a small town or delivery unit from which the mail is distributed. For instance, in 22207, the intial number is area 2, (21) corresponding the District of Columbi, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virgina and West Virgina; the following 22 is the Arlington district of carolina, Virginia, and 07 is the local area. In 1983, an (22) optional nine - numbered Zip code was inroduced. Business mailers with large vilumes of post can use this code, receiving a (23) ...................................... discount on their mailing rate. In addition, as early as 1963, when the Zip code itself was devised, two- letter abbrevations for states and other areas were brougth in, to (24 ) unable the mechanised addressing system used by many companies to (25) economise on time by putting a Zip code on the same line as the city or state.