Question: Ok, so with ArcGIS 10, ESRI has depricated 'Address Standardizing' in the new locators, I know you can still use the 9.3.1 locators to do this; but I heavily suspect that after the 10.1 version we will see this available less and less.  

The [FGDC Addressing Standard](http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/street-address) places a heavy value on good addresses having the Prefix, Prefix-Direction, Street-Name, Suffix, Suffic-Direction values for a good clean form. And my agency has a need for the same.  

Are there other tools out there that people are using to take structured addresses and parse them out fairly-reliably so they can be stored? Are any of them free?  

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\**Update:*\*I came across [this on CodePlex (US Address Parser)](http://usaddress.codeplex.com/) and it has given me a really good jumping off point. Its really nice in that its managed code that I can use all over the place and so far it has had a very high sucess rate at breaking down parts to be reviewed line by line and part by part.

Answer: 
Parsing of an address is a complicated process, as I'm sure you are well aware. 

Using ZIP+4 data from the USPS, you can determine if a street exists within a given city/state/zip code. You can even verify that a primary number (house number) falls within the correct ZIP+4 range. Adjusting city names and street names to correct for spelling issues is also possible using spelling lists as well as "sounds like" matching. Taking an address and parsing it into the individual components and then comparing it against a database of known addresses is the only way to know that the parsing has been done correctly.

Knowing that an address fits within the assigned area and knowing that it is a real and deliverable address are distinct objectives. The first, address approximation, is something that Google Maps does very well. However, it is just that, approximation. Google Maps doesn't let you know if the address is actually deliverable, they show you where it would lie on the map if it were real. This is immensely valuable from a mapping standpoint and they have varying degrees of accuracy.

Certainly the USPS database has flaws (many of them) but they are also certainly more accurate and correct than any other single database of US addresses and it's that degree of accuracy (and the fact that it is constantly updated) that we rely on.

I also work at SmartyStreets and wanted to add to the conversation. If you need to validate fewer than 250 addresses per month, the API is free. If your organization is a [nonprofit](https://smartystreets.com/free-address-verification/) group, the service is completely free with no limits.
I have had great success using the us address parser library. I built a python tool that uses the library to create the parsed out address fields. <https://github.com/datamade/usaddress>