Datasets > Minnesota > 2025-present

Geographic Names [Minnesota]

United States Geological Survey · 2025 Full Details

Full Details

Title
Geographic Names [Minnesota]
Description
The source data for the Minnesota Geographic Names multipoint feature class is the USGS-GNIS data base, 'National Geographic Names Database', maintained by the United States Geological Survey for the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. State extracts are available from the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) as file geodatabases and cleaned up locally. According to USGS metadata: 'A geographic feature is any relatively permanent part of the natural or manmade landscape or seascape that has recognizable identity within a particular cultural context. The primary attributes of a geographic feature are name and location.' The Geographic Names Information System file contains all geographic names in the Minnesota state extract. A layer file has also been created to represent the 'Populated Places' feature, from GNIS. A 'Populated Place' is defined by USGS as a 'Place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population (city, settlement, town, village)'. A 'Populated Place' may or may not be legally incorporated. Incorporated places also appear as separate features with a feature code of 'Civil'. The dams layer file previously maintained by MnGeo has been removed as result of the following update by GNIS: In 2021 the following geographic features referred to as “administrative” (cultural or man-made) were removed from GNIS: airport, bridge, building, cemetery, church, dam, forest, harbor, hospital, mine, oilfield, park, post office, reserve, school, tower, trail, tunnel, and well. For more information see: https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names/domestic-names, The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is the Federal standard for geographic nomenclature. The U.S. Geological Survey developed the GNIS for the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, a Federal inter-agency body chartered by public law to maintain uniform feature name usage throughout the Government and to promulgate standard names to the public. The GNIS is the official repository of domestic geographic names data, the official vehicle for geographic names use by all departments of the Federal Government, and the source for applying geographic names to Federal electronic and printed products of all types., Data uploaded on 3/14/2025 to U.S. Board on Geographic Names website. Data is updated every other month on the U.S. Board on Geographic Names website. Most current GNIS data can also be queried on the self-service site: https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names/domestic-names.
Creator
United States Geological Survey
Temporal Coverage
2025-03-14
Rights
None
Access Rights
Public
Format
Files
Language
English
Date Added
April 26, 2021
Provenance Statement
The metadata for this resource was last retrieved from the Minnesota Geospatial Commons on 20260316.

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Place

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Cite and Reference

  • Citation
    United States Geological Survey (n.d.). Geographic Names [Minnesota]. . https://gisdata.mn.gov/dataset/31a26a29-a05e-4820-afbd-09c41781fae5 (dataset)
  • BTAA Geoportal Link

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