MatthewHSE - 5:21 pm on Jan 17, 2008 (gmt 0)

I work a lot with customer mailing lists numbering in the tens (and sometimes hundreds) of thousands of records. The only way you get a ZIP+4 is if the list has been NCOA'ed (National Change of Address). In over five years, I could probably count on my fingers the number of people I've taken orders from who know their +4.

And no, I don't know mine, either.

That said, I can't imagine a situation where a single zip code isn't local enough for local search. Large cities have multiple zip codes. Smaller towns have one, and rural zip codes may cover a fairly large area. But as the zip code covers a larger area, people are more used to traveling further to get to the services they need or want.

I've never been to the UK, but from what I understand from folks who live there, most people are resistant to traveling outside their neighborhoods for their normal needs and wants. But as you pointed out, America is a geographically large country, and most of us don't mind getting in the car and driving half an hour or an hour to get to everyday places.

I live in a farming area of the Midwest. Our city is about 35,000 people and has one zip code. My favorite "local" restaurant is in a small town forty minutes away - and I drive through at least four zip codes to get there. I don't think you'll find many Americans who say a zip code isn't local enough for anything they want to find.