Census 2010

I was so excited today when I opened my mailbox and discovered that my Census 2010 form was inside!

I can fondly remember taking my time to fill out my first census in 2000 as I knew a researcher down the road might, in fact, look me up and see what my answers were. And since I only received the "Short Form" in the mail, I also printed the "Long Form" from the Census Bureau, filled that out, and filed it in my own personal genealogy files.

I was somewhat disappointed to learn today that the 2010 census is only going to be offered on the "Short Form." For the first time in history, there is no "Long Form." Instead, it's been replaced by the American Community Survey which is continuously and randomly sent out to American citizens. So...now I'd like to figure out how to download this form so I can fill it out for my own genealogy files.

I laugh at myself at how excited I get about this bit of government bureaucracy. And you better believe I will once again sit down and take my time filling out my form. I just enjoy taking part in something that has occurred every 10 years since 1790 when Thomas Jefferson himself was the chief administrator. How cool is that?

© 2010, copyright Chris Odom