Census forms were mailed out this month. Please take time to fill out your form. It should only take about 10 minutes and your answers are completely confidential and your participation is important. Do not give out your social security number to anyone as this information is not a census question. Never give out information to anyone who say they are are from the Census Bureau but cannot produce a Census Identification Card.
If you need assistance filling out your form, the Library will have a person from the U.S. Census Questionnaire Assistance Center available until April 19th. Hours are Monday - Wednesday: 1 - 4 p.m., Thursday: 4 - 7 p.m. and Saturday: 12 - 3 p.m. Forms are available on the Census table in the Library if you've misplaced your census form or would like it in another language (Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Russian). Other locations for assistance are as follows: Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 1838 Florida in Vallejo and the Norman King Community Center, 545 Magazine Street also in Vallejo.
Phone lines will also be open nationwide from 8 a.m to 9 p.m. (local time) seven days a week through July 30, 2010. For assistance in English, call 1-866-872-6868. Assistance is also available in Spanish (en espanol: 1-866-925-2010), Chinese (1-866, Korean (1-866-955-2010), Vietnamese (1-866-945-2010) and Russian (1-866-965-2010). For deaf and hard-of-hearing persons (TDD number: 1-866-783-201).
The first U.S. census was taken in 1790 by the U.S. Marshalls on horseback. At that time, there were 3.9 million people living here. In 2000, the population had risen to 280 million. What will the number be this year? Every ten years a census is taken as required by the Constitution to equally redistribute the seats in the House of Representatives among the states based on population. Census data is also to allocate Federal, State and local dollars to neighborhood improvement, schools, roads, and public health. For more information, see 50 Ways Census Data is Used.
If you are interested in seeing the 1790 Census for yourself, take a look at our Genealogy Database, HeritageQuest.