Talk:Glen Allen, Virginia

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130911234518/http://factfinder2.census.gov to http://factfinder2.census.gov
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130911234518/http://factfinder2.census.gov to http://factfinder2.census.gov

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Extent of Glen Allen
Let's talk about the geographic extent of Glen Allen. Because it is an unincorporated community, there may be more than one source describing its boundaries. One source, which is used for all of the population and demographic statistics in the article, is the U.S. Census Bureau, which lists the Glen Allen Census Designated Place (CDP). The extent which I describe in detail in the geography section consists of the CDP boundary. What other sources might there be to describe Glen Allen's geography? I considered ZIP code boundaries. There are two ZIP code areas covering the Glen Allen CDP: the northern half is 23059, and the southern half is 23060. The Postal Service calls both ZIP code areas "Glen Allen". However, as is the case throughout Wikipedia U.S. articles, ZIP codes are a poor fit for community boundaries. They only describe how mail is distributed and commonly extend well out into rural areas. In the case here, 23059 also covers areas that the Census lists as Wyndham and Short Pump, while 23060 includes Innsbrook and another part of Short Pump.

While CDP boundaries do change from time to time, ZIP code boundaries change much more frequently. Thus, the standard practice in Wikipedia has been to use the CDP framework for unincorporated places. Now if Henrico County or Hanover County have some type of designated sub-county zones named "Glen Allen", that would be worth mentioning in the article as well. But it is misleading to use ZIP code areas as a descriptor of the location of a community in the opening section. --Ken Gallager (talk) 19:36, 30 March 2018 (UTC)