What city am I in?

Tap Find me and the city or town you are in appears on the sign, with the county and state below it.

Tap Find me and allow location access. Nothing you look up is stored.

ZIP
Elevation ground, above sea level
Address
Latitude, longitude
Degrees, minutes, seconds
GPS altitude (from your device)
Shown after Find me, when your device reports it
Accuracy
Speed
Shown when you are moving and your device reports it

Finding the city or town you are in

The page reads your position and asks OpenStreetMap which city, town or village contains it. The name appears in large type on the green sign, like the destination on a highway guide sign, with the county and state underneath.

People ask this on road trips, when a navigation app has stopped naming towns, when they have woken up on a train or bus, after moving to a new area where towns run into each other, or when a delivery form or a local service wants to know which city they are in.

City limits versus the name on your mail

There are two different answers to "what city am I in", and they often disagree. One is the municipality whose boundaries you are inside, which decides who collects your taxes, runs your police and sets local rules. The other is the city name in your mailing address, which the post office chooses based on which post office delivers your mail.

This page reports the first one where the boundary is mapped. So a house outside any city limit might show the nearest village or no city at all, while its mail says a larger city nearby. Neither is a mistake. See why your address says a different city for more on how this happens.

What you see if you are not in any city

Much of the United States, by land area, is unincorporated. There is no city government, and services come from the county. If you are in one of those areas, the sign shows the nearest named place the map has for you, which might be a small community or a hamlet, or it falls back to the county name.

The name of a community that is not a legal city is still useful. It is often what locals call the place and what appears on road signs, even though the area has no city hall.

Other countries work differently. Outside the US the sign shows whatever the local map calls your town or municipality, and the second line shows the county or district and the region.

Towns, villages, townships and boroughs

US states use different names for their local governments, and the tool shows whichever one applies. A town in New England is a different kind of government from a town in the Midwest. Many states have villages, some have boroughs, and many Midwestern and Northeastern states have townships, which are divisions of a county that may or may not provide services.

When the map records a city, the sign shows the city. When it records only a town, village or hamlet, it shows that. For formal purposes, your county's website is the reliable place to check which local government covers your address.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know what city I am in right now?

Tap Find me and allow location access. The city or town you are in appears on the green sign, with the county and state underneath.

Why does it show a different city from my address?

The page shows the place you are physically inside. Your mailing address uses the post office's city name, which can be a nearby larger city even if you live outside its limits.

What does it show if I am not in a city?

It shows the nearest named community the map has for your position, such as a village or hamlet, or the county if there is none.

What town am I in if I am on a highway?

The page still works. It shows the town whose boundary contains your position, or the nearest named place if the highway is outside any town.