Hello! I am an immigrant, I am having trouble navigating us neighborhood,
For example: 262 Swansea Mall Dr, Swansea MA 2777
I know 2777 is a zip code Swansea Ma is a city + state, what is 262 here? is there a handbook or something which can help me get around, I am having very hard time delivering ? pls help appreciated
35 comments
262 is the house or apartment number
Just put the address into Google maps or similar.
262 is the building number on Swansea Mall drive. Street signs generally point to which block. In big letters it’ll say Swansea Mall Dr and then in one corner it’ll have something like <-200 which indicates that addresses with street numbers in the 200s are in that direction.
Most people these days skip all that and just use navigation apps on their phones.
262 would be a number on the building, or if it’s a house, they might have that number by the door, or on a sign somewhere in the garden or driveway.
262 is the house number. Addresses go house number, street name, city, state, zip code (for mail delivery, AFAIK most people don’t know any zip codes except their own). So basically any address would look like “123 Fake Street, Faketown, Texas, 77003”.
Or, for a real world example, reddit’s corporate HQ: 548 (street number) Market St (street name), San Francisco (city), CA (state), 94104 (zip code). This is basically standardized across the country so you should be able to use it anywhere you go.
Its pretty straight forward
> 262 Swansea Mall Dr,
This indicates the street and the individual building on it. It’s the 262nd address on that stree
> Swansea
Is the town
> MA
Is the state
> 2777
Is the zip code, a numeric code that relates to the town
The zip code is 02777, I don’t know if that’s a problem but make sure you remember that zero out front.
It’s a number to identify a specific building along the road. They’ll increase or decrease as you drive along the road. Usually, odd numbers are on one side, evens on the other. If you have access to Google Maps or any type of GPS, the computer will take you right to the destination you enter. It seems there’s a number missing from the zip code. Zip codes are 5 digits. If you use a computer to navigate, it’s best to enter all 5 digits.
It’s the number. I would just put this into google maps. And a zip code has 5 digits.
> is there a handbook or something which can help me get around, I am having very hard time delivering
A map. You’re describing a map.
I looked it up, that’s the address of the mall building itself. That’s why you can’t find the building numbers anywhere….because it’s a huge building the size of a mall.
The funny thing is it’s been closed for years and I believe it’s a church now. Here’s the website for the church, maybe you can call someone there and find out which door to the mall building you need to deliver to:
​
[https://www.hpc.church/](https://www.hpc.church/)
​
BTW:
Every Christmas present I purchased for my family for about a decade came out of that mall.
So weird to see it asked about on a random Reddit sub.
Where is the confusion?
Swansea is the town, Swansea Mall Dr. is the street. 262 is the street number. Most buildings are visibly numbered, so if you’re driving down the street and you see numbers in the 200’s you know you’re getting close, if you see 240’s and 250’s you’re getting even closer. Odd’s will be on one side of the street with evens on the other.
Well, for starters, all [ZIP codes](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIP_Code) are five digits – a zero can be the first digit; the ZIP code would be incomplete without it.
ZIP codes can represent a more specific area in the ZIP+4 form, which is the original five digit ZIP code, a hyphen, and then four more digits. I’ve pretty much only seen the ZIP+4 form on mail and other really official things though. Just using the original five digits is the norm.
When you get to Swansea Mall Drive, you will look for 262 on the building.
At this point with everyone having a personal satnav in their pocket, use that.
If not, use a map. Rand McNally still puts out good maps.
Orient the map with north on the map pointing north irl.
Use a compass if you can’t figure it out.
Figure out where you are.
Figure out where you want to go.
Plot a course.
Periodically check the map and verify that you are where you think you are and are still on course.
Once you get to the street notice the house numbers. There is usually a pattern.
Figure out where the house number you are looking for fall in the pattern.
Go to that house.
Profit!
Eventually you will begin to memorize the layout of the city you are in, learn traffic patterns, shortcuts, and places to avoid.
Swansea Mall Dr is the name of the street that the building is on. 262 is the specific building. Sometimes that number will correspond to a group of things, like an apartment complex or a shopping area. Then there will usually be something like “262 Unit F”
Do you have a smart phone? Just use google maps or whatever other navigation app.
262
Individual building number. This will be displayed on the front of the building in most instances, or on a sign by the front of the building
Swansea Mall Dr
Street name. This will be on green signs at intersections.
Swansea
City/town name
MA
State name
2777
Zip code, generally not relevant for actual navigation, only in distinguishing between similar named areas.
>what is 262 here?
It’s the house number. It indicates where on the street you can find the house/business.
It’s the number of the building or property on the street. Some are telling you to look for the ‘block number’ but that isn’t done in Massachusetts as most streets aren’t in blocks at all. Odd numbers will be one side of the street and even numbers on the other. Your maps/directions app will bring you right to that building if you punch that in.
262 is your specific location on that street.
Do you … not have that in your country of origin?
The first number is the house or building number.
So, go to Swansea Mall Drive and look for a house or building marked 262.
Some aren’t marked on the building or house (sometimes people just don’t, or it’s loose) so then look for ones beside it and or look at the curb. The numbers are sometimes painted on the curb also.
One side of a street will be odd numbers, and one side of the street will be even numbers. 262 is an even number (the last number in it is the one that matters.)
So if it has no 262 on the house or building — look for other numbers ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8, and at least you have the correct side of the street.
How is it where you are?
Should be 5 digits in a zip code.
Sometimes you can also find a plus four, which is helpful to write to help the mail carrier find a place, but you will find a street address without the plus four.
But sometimes a zip code will be (hypothetically) 12777 + 4845
You can find the plus four by going to the US Postal Service website.
262 is the building number and “Swansea Mall Dr” is the street name. Some places have a pattern that makes it easier to find, but typically you’ll need to look at a map or search Google.
Also do you have GPS or can type that address into google maps because it will even show you a photo of that address.
Maybe it didn’t come up because you have an incomplete ZIP code so try it without the ZIP code, it should add it.
Or go to US Postal Service website and type in the rest of it and it will show you the correct ZIP.
First– Swansea is 02777, not 2777. Zip codes are always 5 digits. (There’s also something called “Zip+4”, which adds four extra digits to the end for greater specificity, but that’s hardly ever used. I don’t even know my home’s zip+4, I need to look it up on the rare occasion that I need it)
In most cases, the zip code and the city/state are redundant– If you know the zip code, you can look up the city/state. If you know the city/state, you can look up the zip code. Exceptions for cities, which can have many zip codes (some very large buildings have a zip code all for themselves).
262 is the building number. All buildings have a building number. The building numbers are typically posted prominently near the street or near the entrance to the building. Sometimes, a large building has multiple building numbers for different entrances or different businesses within the same building.
One end of Swansea Mall Dr will have lower numbers, one end will have higher numbers. If you’re looking for 262, you can look at the numbers of other buildings as you drive along to make sure you’re going in the right direction and gauge how close you are.
Typically, but not universally, one side of the road will have the odd numbers and the other side will have even numbers. ie, 258, 260, 262, 264… will be on one side of the road, and 259, 261, 263, 265… will be on the other side.
In urban areas, it’s very common for the building numbers to be neatly organized by block. ie, 100-199 will all be on one block, 200-299 will all be on the next block, etc. In some cities, the building number ranges will be printed on the street signs at each intersection.
Also, it’s very common for the building numbers to be noncontinuous. ie, the buildings next to 262 may or may not be 260/264.
Does Mass have four-digit zip codes or is that 02777?
262 is the building/house number. It might not be prominently displayed if it’s a commercial building, but it’ll be somewhere. Or on Google Maps.
Don’t worry about zip code unless you are in the USPS.
Basically — We go least specific to most specific. In the state of Massachusetts, there is a town of Swansea, and in that town of Swansea there is a street called “Swansea Mall Drive”. When you get to that street find the number 262.
side note — Base zip codes are always 5 digit so don’t neglect the 0 at the beginning.
Say what you like about Mormons, but those towns and cities are dead easy to navigate through.
Put the address in Google maps
You are working a delivery job???
I think you are better off trying to ask people from the state subreddit. I never even heard of that mall until today. And it’s probably literally on the other side of the continent.
GPS
Roads count up or down from a city center point going N, E, S, W. The signs will say the numbers after the name of what the next block’s numbers will be. Odd or even depends on the side of the street
Let’s walk through the pieces one at a time!
“2777” is actually “02777”. It’s a ‘ZIP code’. This is used for the postal service to organize mail delivery. It usually identifies a location, but it can also identify a ‘place that needs it’s own mailbox’. For example, there are a few ZIP codes that belong to the government just for taxes (the IRS – Internal Revenue Service).
“Swansea, MA” is the city and state, you already understand that. Note that the two-letter codes for state can be confusing. MS is Mississippi, not Massachusetts. MI is Michigan, not Missouri (MO).
“Swansea Mall Dr” identifies a single street. Of course, a street could be a short road that leads to a single home or business, or a street could pass through many cities over a long distance.
Each building (or separate property) on that street has it’s own number. The numbers are in order – usually odd numbers on one side of the street, even numbers on the other. The number identifies where, on the street “Swansea Mall Drive”, *in the city of Swansea*, the property or building is located.
Often, the numbers will be spaced in a way that the city blocks are numbered, not just the individual properties. So “262” might be on the third block away from a city ‘center line’, and there might be other properties with 162 and 62 that are closer to that ‘line’.
*One thing to note: Depending on what side of the line, the street name might be a little different. There might be a ‘262 WEST Swansea Mall Dr.’ on one side of the city, but also a ‘262 EAST Swansea Mall Dr.’ on the other side of town. You might also see “North Main Street” and “South Main Street”, as another example.*
GPS systems are usually really good at providing directions, but make sure you are precise in giving all the parts of the address.