How many locations are there for blue mailboxes in your zip code? Officially known as USPS collection stations, these sturdy steel containers, bolted to the sidewalk, do yeoman duty collecting mail and seemingly used to be everywhere. There’s a link at the end of this post to a web site that will tell you how many are near you. Before you click it, take a guess. Hint: The number is probably less than you think.
Before continuing I should answer the question of whether this is important. Of course not, but neither are most posts in the blogosphere. And knowing a bit of trivia never hurt anyone.
A couple of qualifications on counting blue mailbox locations. First, don’t include the blue mailboxes at the post office itself. You already know you can drop off mail at the post office, so counting the mailboxes there doesn’t add much to the convenience factor. Second, some locations have more than one mailbox. In fact, this happens more than you think. But to me a spot with two or three mailboxes just counts as one location.
My zip code, 98312, takes in part of West Bremerton as well as unincorporated communities to the west of the city like Rocky Point and Navy Yard City. It goes as far north as Chico. It’s a good-sized zip code in area and boasted a population of just under 32,000 as of the 2000 census. Somehow it gets by with 11 blue mailbox locations.
That figure seems low so I did a count for greater Bremerton (5 zip codes). Now we are talking about the entire city plus outlying communities, an area of more than 100 square miles with a population of 82,600 in 2000. The total count is 31. That doesn’t seem like enough, but apparently it is.
I also checked another zip code I’m familiar with as I have a vacation place there: 98546 (Grapeview). It is a rural area. Other than a couple of blue mailboxes at the post office itself, there are no others in the entire zip code. Zero, none, nada.
If you shop much in your home zip code, that is, if you are familiar with its commercial areas, you are probably familiar with the location of every blue mailbox in the zip code. Perhaps a few mailbox locations may surprise you, but there won’t be many.
The USPS delivers tens of millions of pieces of mail every day. Everything they deliver, with the exception of some notices and advertising they originate, needs to be brought to them or collected from somewhere. How much of it comes from the humble blue mailboxes might make an interesting question.
Mud Bay Blog 
Like the ATM machine it is not something you think about if you have one conveniently close.
I bit on this one and guessed 5. Actually, there are 6. It is an interesting website. Thanks!