Sublocality

Sublocality is a geographic subdivision within a locality, used to denote a smaller area such as a neighborhood, district, or precinct within a city or town. It provides a finer level of spatial granularity for mapping, addressing, and urban analysis, sitting below the level of locality or city in many data schemas.

In addressing and geocoding, sublocality helps improve precision for mail delivery, navigation, and search. The exact meaning and boundaries of a sublocality vary by country and data source. In some systems it corresponds to a named neighborhood; in others it may be a formal administrative unit, part of a larger district. Digital mapping platforms often include sublocality as an address component; for example, the Google Maps Geocoding API distinguishes sublocality and sublocality_level_1, enabling users to differentiate adjacent neighborhoods within the same city.

Because the concept is not standardized internationally, sublocality boundaries are inconsistent between maps and over time. Localities may be split into sublocalities that differ in name or extent across datasets, and some languages use different terms for similar ideas (neighborhood, quarter, ward).

In data models, sublocality is typically an optional field in address schemas, used to refine search results, route planning, and demographic analysis. It complements higher-level units like locality and administrative divisions, and lower-level details such as street addresses and premises.

See also: Locality (geography); Neighborhood; Administrative division; Geocoding; Addressing.