If you are accustomed to walking down the street and depositing your outgoing mail in that familiar blue box and suddenly you notice it's not there, there is a reason why. The U.S. Postal Service has removed a total of 39 collection boxes around the city.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
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The postal newsletter, Newslocker.com reports that the U.S. Postal Service conducted a study earlier this year how frequently the blue collection boxes were being used. As a result, the postal service decided to remove 39 boxes, some averaging fewer than 25 pieces of mail in a day. In many instances, the boxes removed were also located within a mile of a different collection point.

Among the boxes removed are the boxes at Fulton Avenue and Huffman Boulevard, North Towne Mall near the intersection of North Main Street and West Riverside Boulevard along with 37 others.

Many people who still use the blue collection boxes on a regular basis are those who worry about putting outgoing mail in the mailbox outside one's residence because of concerns about theft. Raising the flag on your mailbox is an invitation to thieves.

Some areas of the city, especially the Northwest portion, were most hard hit by the removal of blue boxes. You can see a map of the mailboxes that were removed here.

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