Review - Planet Money "Zip Codes!"

The NPR Planet Money podcasters wanted to travel through one ZIP Code as fast as they could.

Did you know that the Empire State Building has its own ZIP? The podcast host said: "We had to run through a couple of hallways, take four separate elevators, and along the way, we passed by every single address ending in the numbers 1-0-1-1-8. Like other big buildings around the city and the country, this building has its own zip code. Another elevator bank." At the 86th floor, the observation tower, her ears popped.

Let me change cities for a moment, a sidetrip from the podcast. I am from the Chicago area, and on a trip back with my husband, who had not been, I took him to the top of what used to be called The Sears Tower, now known as The Willis Tower. It is a skyscraper, 110 stories, 1,451-foot (442.3 m), and was the tallest U.S. skyscraper until 2013. It took three years to build and opened in 1973. As you jet on the rapid elevator to the top, you can feel the elevator rocking slightly. When the doors open at the top, the wind whistles upward in the crack between the elevator floor and the tower's floor. According to the Chicago Architecture Center, "the Willis Tower employs a bundled tubular structural system that effectively manages wind loads. The building features a central core and surrounding perimeter columns that provide the necessary strength to withstand high wind forces, making it a prominent example of wind load management in tall buildings." Chicago is known for its winds and has the nickname the Windy City, so the wind would have been a major factor when designing the super-tall skyscraper. 

The Planet Money podcast is fascinating. Since the lower numbers of the U.S. zip codes are from the East Coast, I can guess where a piece of mail originated.

Interesting facts: ** The President has his own zip code! ** Santa and Smokey the Bear each have their own zip codes - none of which I knew until hearing this episode. ** A zip code in Michigan consists of three boats owned by Jim Hogan, who delivers mail to commercial boats around Detroit.

World II took the knowledgeable postal workers away from their jobs, so a few digits were created to help get letters delivered correctly. Imagine if someone sent you a letter to your home on Elm Avenue, but they wrote it as Elm Street - you wouldn't get the letter (which sometimes still happens, no one or system is perfect).

The population exploded between 1940 and 1960, and mail volume doubled. Bills were going out to people in the mail, and the postal workers struggled to hand-sort all the increased mail. Postmaster General J. Edward Day was appointed. He heard about adding numbers to all addresses and put legs to his plan to modernize, and the ZIP code was born in 1963. Zone Improvement Plan. The first number in the zip directs the mail to one large zone encompassing several states, such as Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania. The next number sends it to the processing center in that zone, and the following numbers to its neighborhood. It is a great idea!

Some don't like it, saying it turns people into just a number; it's too impersonal. The postal service has to convince the public that it's a great new thing and also to use it!

They created a communication plan that included public service announcements, jingles that played on the radio, and a friendly, happy cartoon character, Mr. Zip, who was on posters, stamps, and parade floats. Ethel Merman, born in 1908 and died in 1984, was an American actress and singer. Her voice was powerful and well known so it seemed fitting they used her for a zip code song. (I also found that the post office used a cartoon poster of Dick Tracy talking through his two-way wrist TV to Mr. Zip - not mentioned in the podcast).

The numbers make it easy for machines to sort letters (similar to sorting time talked on long-distance telephone calls). Zipcode boundaries don't necessarily match town boundaries but it turned out to be helpful for government offices to assist with agriculture by zipcodes. Companies use them to create marketing campaigns. Insurance companies also use them, which can be a disadvantage to some.

There are zip code issues, too, but you'll want to check out the podcast to hear more about those. Let me just say in some areas, your neighbor on the other side of the street might have a different zip code. I say that means a review of the system and codes needs to be done and then updated. Yes, more numbers!! (There is a written podcast transcript if you prefer to read, not listen).

I highly recommend Planet Money. The podcasts are engaging and informative. Each one I have listened to has taught me something new.

Copyright © 1/11/2025 by Andrea O. Corwin

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