# 20500 \[zip code anywhere?\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 12, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20500-zip-code-anywhere/627994 "2012-07-12T12:58:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ScarletNumber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@ScarletNumber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScarletNumber)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20500-zip-code-anywhere/627994/1 "2012-07-12T12:58:26Z")
If you mailed a stamped envelope in the US, and all it had written on it was 20500, where would it go? ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20500-zip-code-anywhere/627994/2 "2012-07-12T13:03:56Z")
Since I don’t see a game here, I’m going to move this to General Questions (and also edit the title to be a bit more descriptive) ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20500-zip-code-anywhere/627994/3 "2012-07-12T13:13:28Z")
20500 is the zip code for the White House. Which I guess means it would first go somewhere to be irradiated and would almost certainly not actually be opened within the actual White House. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20500-zip-code-anywhere/627994/4 "2012-07-12T13:13:57Z")
It is the zip code for the White House, but I don’t know if it would be delivered there if that was literally the only thing written on the envelope. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20500-zip-code-anywhere/627994/5 "2012-07-12T13:18:41Z")
Zip code 20500 is specifically for the White House. It was given its own zip code because they receive such a large volume of mail. Other government buildings, as well as some corporate HQs and universities, also have unique, single-address zip codes e.g. the [Educational Testing Service](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_Testing_Service).