# Canadian Postal Code Question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2002, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729 "2002-08-07T07:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/1 "2002-08-07T07:27:40Z")
This is a rather nagging question I have as a citizen of the U.S…I see a lot of Canadian adresses from friends, tv, etc…Those postal codes on the end puzzle me as to how the system works…Like, for example, I know that for the U.S. zip codes, the country/territories are divided into ten sections(0-9), each of those divided(01?-??), each of those divided, etc…But, does anyone know the logic behind this seemingly puzzling(to this American) yet obviously effective system that Canada uses? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/2 "2002-08-07T08:15:51Z")
Google gave this… > [@](#): > > The Postal Code Explained > Canadian postal codes are always in the same format: ANA NAN where A is an alphabetical character and N is a numeric character. > > Significance of the Characters > These first three characters of the postal code are known as the Forward Sortation Area (FSA). > > The first character normally designates a province or territory. For instance, the letter R refers to Manitoba. For Ontario and Quebec, Canada’s most highly populated provinces, the first character refers to a major area within the province. For example, the letter M refers to Toronto, while the letter K refers to eastern Ontario. > > The second character denotes whether the mail is to go to an urban or rural location. Rural addresses contain a 0 in the second position. > > The third character of the code, further defines the destination. In an urban code, the third character will identify a postal station or city post office. > > These last three characters of the postal code are known as the Local Delivery Unit (LDU). > > The last three characters of the code help to guide your mail to a specific location. ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/3 "2002-08-07T08:18:32Z")
Here is part of it from [www.gdtcanada.com](http://www.gdtcanada.com) "The forward sortation area (FSA) boundary file represents the first 3 digits in a Canadian postal code. The first character in the FSA identifies a Canadian province, territory or district. The second and third characters help identify the exact area in a city, town or other geographic location where mail will be delivered. Canadian postal codes usually represent one block or apartment building in urban areas and are coded to enumeration area centroids in rural areas or where no reference data is available." It almost sounds like they work better than our ZIP codes but we’ll fix THAT as soon as Canada becomes a state. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/4 "2002-08-07T10:43:05Z")
The postcodes here (similar, eg M20 4YE) identify a particular road or street. So in theory, you can mark a house number and the post code and the letter should arrive. But what the hell’s a letter? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/5 "2002-08-07T12:08:09Z")
In my particular postal code there are about 6 houses. I believe that the codes are different for each side of the street as well (like the odd/even numbering of houses. Also interesting is the designation of the first letter of the code. It indicates the province of the address and starts alphabetically in the east to the west and then north. First Digit of FSA Province or Territory Total A Newfoundland 31 B Nova Scotia 58 C Prince Edward Island 7 E New Brunswick 41 G Quebec 122 H Quebec 122 J Quebec 137 K Ontario 84 L Ontario 155 M Ontario 101 N Ontario 118 P Ontario 55 R Manitoba 61 S Saskatchewan 45 T Alberta 137 V British Columbia 189 X Northwest Territory 5 Y Yukon Territory 3 Canada 1472 ---
**Author:** ![mske](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@mske](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mske)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/6 "2002-08-07T16:13:28Z")
The cool thing about the Canadian Postal Code system is you can email Santa Claus c/o North Pole, H0H 0H0… …and he’ll write back! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/7 "2002-08-07T17:47:29Z")
The North Pole is in a rural area of Quebec?!?!? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/8 "2002-08-07T17:51:42Z")
Yeah, but Santa wants to secede! ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/9 "2002-08-07T18:01:10Z")
“Sortation”??? \ ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/10 "2002-08-08T05:18:06Z")
Thank-you everyone…I tried a Google search already, I forgot to say…but I couldn’t find anything other than a Postal Code finder at Canada Post’s 'site( I’m not one of those lazy types that doesn’t like to use Google…LOL)…Again, Thanks to all those who did/will reply. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/11 "2002-08-08T06:25:31Z")
> [@](#): > > It almost sounds like they work better than our ZIP codes but we’ll fix THAT as soon as Canada becomes a state. Of course, that won’t ever happen. If it ever joined the USA, Canada would become 10 states and 3 territories. Sixty-star flag, anyone? Before that happens, though, we will have completed our preparations, and admitted fifty new provinces, plus a dozen or so territories. It’ll be fun to have both Nunavut and Canadian Samoa, for instance. And NAFTA already has a start on the trilingual packaging. But we _won’t_ be adding points to the Maple Leaf. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/12 "2002-08-08T13:29:09Z")
Not in a RURAL area of Quebec… the H indicates that Santa lives in Montreal! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-postal-code-question/122729/13 "2002-08-08T14:24:03Z")
Or Laval **matt\_mcl** 😃