Post Office Near Me

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the agency that handles all of your mail. It is special in that it is one of the few government services to be directly established by the Constitution. The service’s roots date back to 1775 (even before the Declaration of Independence!) when Benjamin Franklin was made postmaster-general by the Second Continental Congress.

In 1792, his operation was turned into the Post Office Department. Finally, in 1971, it was transformed into a government agency, the USPS. Don’t forget to search “Post Office Near Me” to find your local post office and see what it’s all about.

Post Office Near Me – Find it on the Map

Post Office Near Me – Post Office Trivia

How big is the USPS?

Today, the USPS employs over 600 thousand staff members, and delivers over 150 billion pieces of mail each year. It handles between 40 and 50% of all the world’s mail. It is the third-largest civilian employer in the country, behind the government and Wal-Mart. The post office makes approximately $68 billion in revenue each year, but tends to have a deficit of around $5 billion each year.

Where is the post office headquartered?

While there are post office boxes on every street corner, and post offices in most towns across the country, the headquarters of the service is in Washington DC.

How do the postal workers travel?

The post office operates one of the largest fleets of civilian vehicles in the world, with over 200 thousand vehicles in service. It spends over $1.1 billion on gasoline each year! Interestingly, most postal vehicles use a right-hand driving arrangement, as it is easier for the driver to access post office boxes this way.

Is the mail delivered every day of the year?

No. There are some days of the year, called ‘postal holidays’, on which there are no regular mail deliveries or pickups. There are also no retail services, and the post offices will usually be closed. These days include Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, Independence Day and Memorial Day, among others. The USPS publish a list of all of the days on their website. If you have something that needs to be delivered on a postal holiday, search “Post Office Near Me” so you can find a post office to send your items early!

Are there any alternatives to the USPS?

Yes, there are a few agencies and corporations that can be used to deliver mail and packages. The main competitors are United Parcel Service (UPS), and FedEx. However, the postal service has exclusive access to personal letterboxes, or boxes marked ‘U.S. Mail’. There are also other methods such as courier companies that may also be able to deliver packages. Large corporations may also have internal mail schemes, that are independent of the postal service.

How much does it cost to send mail?

The exact cost depends on what kind of mail is being sent. Some stamps can be purchased for as little as 34 cents. Larger packages will attract a higher price. The USPS website offers a guide for some typical costs, but for specific information, or advice about sending a particular item, it is best to ask at the post office.

How is mail sent to our armed forces?

The Department of Defence and the USPS jointly work together to deliver mail to the armed forces. The joint postal systems are known as the Army Post Office (APO) for the Army and Air Force mail, and the Fleet Post Office for the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.

Post Office Near Me – Post Office Facts

The smallest post office in the US the Ochopee Post Office, in Ochopee, Florida. It consists of an area just 61 square feet! On the other hand, the largest post office is the James A. Farley Post Office Building, in New York City. This building takes up two full city blocks!

The highest post office in the US is in Alma, Colorado, which sits at 10,578 feet above sea level. At the other end of the scale, the post office in Death Valley, California, sits 282 feet below sea level, and is the lowest on the country.

The post office in Point Roberts, Washington, is interesting in that the only way to access it by road is through British Columbia, Canada. This is because Point Roberts is on a small peninsula just south of Vancouver, and the US-Canada border cuts across this peninsula.

The community of Supai, Arizona has a very unique mail delivery method. The town is located inside the Grand Canyon, is 8 miles from the nearest road and has no cars or vehicles. The USPS actually delivers to this town by mule train! Another unusual delivery method is used on the Detroit River in Michigan. The JW Westcott is a boat that delivers mail to passing ships on the river. It even has its own ZIP code, which is 48222. A mail boat is also used on the Magnolia River in Alabama. This boat delivers mail to 176 mail boxes along a 31 mile stretch of the river. How unique is your post office? If you want to see, search “Post Office Near Me” to discover!

The longest postal route is in rural Oklahoma, in the town of Magnum. The route serves 240 boxes and is an amazing 187 miles long! The shortest route is Carrollton, Texas, which serves 312 boxes, and is only 1.2 miles long.

The ZIP code 12345 is a valid code. It refers to the General Electric headquarters in Schenectady, New York. Every year, thousands of children’s letters to Santa Claus are delivered here because the children believe that Santa’s ZIP code is 12345. The lowest valid ZIP code is 00501, which is reserved for the IRS in Holtsville, New York. The highest is 99950, which serves Ketchikan, Alaska. Not every ZIP code is valid, however. 5 digits gives 100 thousand possibilities, but only about 42 thousand are in use.

According to the post office, the five most common street names are Main, 2nd, Maple, Oak and Park. The longest Main Street in America is in Island Park, Indiana. It is 33 miles long!

Dogs really do attack mail carriers! According to the USPS, nearly 6000 carriers are attacked by dogs each year. The USPS tries to increase awareness of this fact every year, during National Dog Bite Awareness Week, in May.

The postal service has a policy that if carriers notice mail accumulating, and believe that it may be because the recipient is injured or ill, they notify emergency services.