In ranking the 150 Most Expensive Zip Codes in the U.S. (based on median home price), Forbes pointed out this little fact that I should have known:
In case you ever wondered, ZIP stands for
Zoning Improvement Plan. A relatively recent innovation, the codes only
came about in the 1960s when the U.S. Postal Service decided it needed
to figure out a better way to manage an increase in population, as well
as an influx of business mail.
Zoning Improvement Plan. A relatively recent innovation, the codes only
came about in the 1960s when the U.S. Postal Service decided it needed
to figure out a better way to manage an increase in population, as well
as an influx of business mail.
Unsurprisingly, 4 San Francisco zip codes made the list: 94123 (the
Marina at #37), 94118 (the Inner Richmond / Laurel Heights at
#82), 94114 (the ‘Stro at #90), and 94121 (the Outer Richmond / Sea
Cliff at #139).
For a second, I was caught off-guard by my childhood
neighborhood’s high ranking (relative to the rest of SF), until a
remembered that the modest Inner Richmond is flanked by nice detached
housing to east (Laurel Heights) and the north (Lake Street).
I’ve lived in two of the four zip codes, and worked in a third. I guess I have it pretty good.