why do we need to use city and state in our addresses if ZIP codes are already linked to the city and state?

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why do we need to use city and state in our addresses if ZIP codes are already linked to the city and state?

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27 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Aside from that – I like the idea of a really, really simple postal address. Here in the UK, a postcode is very specific. Imagine just having to write: Mr Smith, 11a, TL15 3PH.

Anonymous 0 Comments

You don’t. In The Netherlands, if you post a letter with ZIP (4 digits + 2 letters) + housenumber, it gets delivered.

Everything else is backup.

It gets better: if you go to a postal office and tell them the zip+housenumber, they print an unreadible code and put that on your parcel/letter. No-one except the deliveryguy will know where the package is going.

Anonymous 0 Comments

True story. In 1980 someone from America addressed a letter “Terry Fox, Canada” and it was successfully delivered.

[Terry Fox, Canada](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19801226&id=zwZMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6280,3430076)

Anonymous 0 Comments

In Ireland the zip codes are per household so technically you don’t even need to have anything else on the address. But the rest is there for a backup if it’s damaged or illegible

Anonymous 0 Comments

I actuality recently read (part of) a book by John Grisham called “The Summons” where the main character’s father never writes city/state — only zip code.I never felt right about it until then, but yeah, entirely possible, but risky.

Anonymous 0 Comments

because even the postpeople usually don’t memorize all the zip codes and at the last mile, it’s really helpful.

also because people do typos, it’s a redundancy to make stuff easier

Anonymous 0 Comments

Redundancy. If someone has terrible handwriting, a postal worker might not be able to tell the difference between a letter meant to go to, for example, Duxbury vs Roxbury. But since Duxbury is 02332, and Roxbury is 02119, it clears up any ambiguity.