
The Current Systemīut what about the postal codes? That same year, in October, came Publication 59.
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They also released new shorter state abbreviations to make room for ZIP codes on letters.
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The bulletin introduced the ZIP Code as a fast and easy way of organizing mail. This system proved effective, and became de facto practice up until the release of the Postal Bulletin for June, 1963. The post offices began breaking down cities into broad numbered regions (like Birmingham 7, etc.) to narrow the field for carriers. The people who were left also weren't as familiar with the parts of town they didn't work in prior. When the war called away huge numbers of the country's young men, the post was seriously understaffed. These would be the default codes until World War II. Due to the growing workforce, the admission of new states, and more interstate mail thanks to the likes of the Pony Express, the government sent out a new, bigger list of abbreviations in 1874. As mail carriers began taking more complicated and longer routes through the cities, the number of carriers grew. This was the origin of the modern system of home letter deliveries. President Abraham Lincoln (a former postman himself) was persuaded to begin free letter shipping in cities in 1863.

The Beginnings of the Modern Mail Service
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They preferred that people just write the full names, but people enjoyed the quicker and easier way of writing (just like today). In 1831 the Post Office Department included a list of acceptable state abbreviations to use when addressing letters. The Table was essential for people to figure out where they could send their mail and where it could be received back when they were expected to retrieve it themselves. The story starts in 1831?well before the states were given codes?with that year's Table of Post Offices in the United States. What's more, the two-letter abbreviations that people are familiar with today actually came after the invention of ZIP codes.

But, a lot of people might not realize that USPS postal codes are actually quite recent. is long, complicated, and supremely important for westward expansion. The history of the postal service in the U.S. If you think you know them all, try our postal codes quiz. Here are the recognized abbreviations for each state name, as well as their official two-letter postal code. But, especially in the age of texting, people like to abbreviate. The post office advises people to write out full state names when sending a letter. Updated Janu| Logan Chamberlain From AL to WY
