Where did two-letter postal abbreviations come from?
The Straight Dope mails in this week's column.
By Cecil AdamsSign up for our newsletters Subscribe
Dear Cecil:
Why oh why did the USPS decree a two-letter abbreviation for states? With three letters you can not only have an unambiguous designation, but one that can be recognized as the state designated without memorizing an arbitrary two-letter code. Surely it isn’t saving ink. What nefarious plot brought this plague upon us?
Richard Trombley
Cecil replies:
If you feel overwhelmed by two-letter state abbreviations, wait’ll you hear about 13-letter city abbreviations. I pray you never have to use it, Richard, but yes, the United States Postal Service publishes a list of approved city-name truncations, for those emergencies when you need to send something to Rancho Santa Margarita, California, but your address template permits only so many spaces.
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