InstaMaps

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ZIP Code Hunt

One ZIP code a day. Name the state it's in, in six guesses. Every miss tells you how many miles off you were and which way to go. A week in, you'll read ZIP codes like a mail carrier.

Today's gamePast games

#1 · today's ZIP code

ZIP 76384: which state is it in?

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Put ZIP Code Hunt on your site, newsletter or class

Free, no sign-up, nothing to install. A new game every day, the same for everyone.

On a web page: paste this

<iframe src="https://get-instamaps.com/embed/games/zip-code" title="ZIP Code Hunt" width="100%" height="760" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://get-instamaps.com/games/zip-code">ZIP Code Hunt</a>, a daily US geography game from InstaMaps</p>

In a newsletter: today's one-liner

📮 Today's ZIP Code Hunt (#1): which state is ZIP 76384 in? Six guesses, with the miles and the direction after each miss. https://get-instamaps.com/games/zip-code?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=game

Email can't run a game, so newsletters link to it. Morning Brew runs its game at the bottom of every issue.

Teaching or running a library guide? The classroom page has practice by topic and questions to start a lesson.

How it works

  1. 1Look at today's five-digit ZIP code.
  2. 2Type a state, or tap it on the map. Only real state names can be guessed, so a typo never costs you a turn.
  3. 3A wrong guess shows how many miles that state's centre is from the ZIP, an arrow pointing the way, and how close you were.
  4. 4Get it in six or fewer. Then see the town, and learn the trick: the first digit counts west from 0 in New England to 9 on the Pacific.

FAQ

Where do the ZIP codes come from?

From the Census Bureau's 2020 ZIP code areas (ZCTAs), its 2020 places and its state boundaries, with town names from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A ZIP is only used when the two sources agree on the state and the town, the ZIP area lies in one state, and its centre is inside that state's boundary.

How is the distance measured?

In a straight line, from the middle of the state you guessed to the middle of the ZIP code's area. So a ZIP near a border can be close to a neighbouring state's middle: that's part of the puzzle.

What does the percentage mean?

How close your guess was: 100% is the right state, 0% is 3,000 miles or more away (about coast to coast).

Is there a trick to it?

Yes. The first digit is a group of states: 0 for New England, New Jersey and Puerto Rico, then up through 9 for the Pacific states, Alaska and Hawaii. The next two digits pick a region inside the state, usually around a big mail processing center.

Can I put it on my site or in my newsletter?

Yes, free. Copy the embed code or the one-liner above. The credit line links back to InstaMaps.

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