Question: When did the us start using zip codes?

context: A ZIP Code is a postal code used by the United States Postal Service (USPS). Introduced in 1963, the basic format consists of five digits. In 1983, an extended ZIP+4 code was introduced; it includes the five digits of the ZIP Code, followed by a hyphen and four digits that designate a more specific location.
question: When did the USPS start using zip codes?
short_answers: 1963
context: A ZIP Code is a postal code used by the United States Postal Service (USPS). Introduced in 1963, the basic format consists of five digits. In 1983, an extended ZIP+4 code was introduced; it includes the five digits of the ZIP Code, followed by a hyphen and four digits that designate a more specific location.
question: When did the USPS start using the extended zip+4 code?
short_answers: 1983
context: No context provided
question: When did the US start utilizing ZIP codes?
short_answers: 1963
July 1, 1963
context: In 1983, the U.S. Postal Service introduced an expanded ZIP Code system that it called "ZIP+4", often called "plus-four codes", "add-on codes", or "add-ons". A ZIP+4 Code uses the basic five-digit code plus four additional digits to identify a geographic segment within the five-digit delivery area, such as a city block, a group of apartments, an individual high-volume receiver of mail, a post office box, or any other unit that could use an extra identifier to aid in efficient mail sorting and delivery. However, initial attempts to promote universal use of the new format met with public resistance and today the plus-four code is not required. In general, mail is read by a multiline optical character reader (MLOCR) that almost instantly determines the correct ZIP+4 Code from the address—along with the even more specific delivery point—and sprays an Intelligent Mail barcode (IM) on the face of the mail piece that corresponds to 11 digits—nine for the ZIP+4 Code and two for the delivery point.
question: When did the US start using ZIP+4 codes?
short_answers: 1983
context: No context provided
question: When did the US begin using zip codes?
short_answers: 1963
July 1, 1963
context: A ZIP Code is a postal code used by the United States Postal Service (USPS). Introduced in 1963, the basic format consists of five digits. In 1983, an extended ZIP+4 code was introduced; it includes the five digits of the ZIP Code, followed by a hyphen and four digits that designate a more specific location.
question: When did the US begin using extended zip codes?
short_answers: 1983

Answer: The USPS started utilizing zip codes on July 1, 1963 and the extended zip code plus 4 digits in 1983.