Is there a way to create an area coverage map from zip codes? Inputting just the zip code gives the center of the zip code area, rather than the edges. Ideally, I'd like to drop in a list of them to generate a single contiguous coverage map - but a method that just outlines the single zip code would be workable.
Posted Oct 9, 2018, 12:19 AM UTC
you can get KML files of zip codes online pretty easily that show the borders, then import them to google mymaps. if you are trying to load more than allowed, just use fusion tables to mash them together into one KML.
That's very helpful. I found a file of all zip codes. I'll poke around with it and see if I can get the functionality I wanted. Thank you.
no problem! i just did a big project at work based on zip codes + Google My Maps. If you need any help, just pm me :)
AFAIK, Google Maps doesn't have zip code geometry data. If you want to make a custom map with it, you have to input it into the Google Maps API using an external source, whether found on the internet or purchased from a company.
If you input 90210 it'll give you roughly the area of the zip code 90210. It'll replace the search with Beverly Hills, CA 90210 but it does show the 90210 area. If you search for just Beverly Hills, CA then it returns a much smaller area.
It actually looks like what the USPS says it should, so I'd be pretty confident that Google Maps knows what areas zip codes represent.
You can see all Zip Code boundaries overlaid on Google Maps here ( https://www.randymajors.com/p/zipcodegmap.html ) although you can't create a contiguous coverage map from multiple.
Fun fact, zip codes _technically_ don't have geometry. From Wikipedia:
So even if you had geographic shapes from the point clouds of buildings who have that zip code, they would have gaps in some places, and overlap in others.