The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20080205012411/http://www.census.gov:80/geo/www/psap2010/cdp.040607.b.html
[Federal Register: April 6, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 66)]
[Notices]
[Page 17326-17329]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06ap07-120]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Bureau of the Census
[Docket Number 070104002-7003-01]
Census Designated Place (CDP) Program for the 2010 Census--
Proposed Criteria
AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of proposed program and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Census designated places (CDPs) \1\ are statistical geographic
entities representing closely settled, unincorporated communities that
are locally recognized and identified by name. They are the statistical
equivalents of incorporated places, with the primary differences being
the lack of both a legally defined boundary and an active, functioning
governmental structure, chartered by the state and administered by
elected officials. CDPs defined for the 2010 Census also will be used
to tabulate American Community Survey, Puerto Rico Community Survey,
and Economic Census data after 2010, and potentially data from other
Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) censuses and surveys.
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\1\ The term CDP includes communidades and zonas urbanas in
Puerto Rico.
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The Census Bureau is publishing this notice in the Federal Register
to request comments from the public and other government agencies. The
Census Bureau will respond to the comments received as part of the
publication of final criteria in the Federal Register. After the final
criteria are published in the Federal Register, the Census Bureau will
offer designated governments or organizations an opportunity to review
and, if necessary, suggest updates to the boundaries and attributes of
the CDPs in their geographic area under the Participant Statistical
Areas Program (PSAP). In addition to CDPs, the program also encompasses
the review and update of census tracts, block groups, and census county
divisions.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 5, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program
to the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H001, mail stop 0100,
Washington, DC 20233-0001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on
this proposed program should be directed to Michael Ratcliffe, Chief,
Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch, Geography Division, U.S.
Census Bureau, via e-mail at geo.psap.list@census.gov or telephone at
301-763-3056.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. History
The CDP concept and delineation criteria have evolved over the past
five decades in response to data user needs for place-level data. This
evolution has taken into account differences in the way in which places
were perceived, and the propensity for places to incorporate in various
states. The result, over time, has been an increase in the number and
types of unincorporated communities identified as CDPs, as well as
increasing consistency in the relationship between the CDP concept and
the kinds of places encompassed by the incorporated place category, or
a compromise between localized perceptions of place and a concept that
would be familiar to data users throughout the United States, Puerto
Rico, and the Island Areas.
[[Page 17327]]
Although not as numerous as incorporated places or
municipalities,\2\ CDPs have been important geographic entities since
their introduction for the 1950 census. (CDPs were referred to as
``unincorporated places'' from 1950 through the 1970 decennial
censuses.) For the 1950 Census, CDPs were defined only outside
urbanized areas and were required to have at least 1,000 residents. For
the 1960 Census, CDPs could also be identified inside urbanized areas
outside of New England, but these were required to have at least 10,000
residents. The Census Bureau modified the population threshold within
urbanized areas to 5,000 in 1970, allowed for CDPs in urbanized areas
in New England in 1980, and lowered the urbanized area threshold again
to 2,500 in 1990. In time, other population thresholds were adopted for
identification of CDPs in Alaska, as well as in Puerto Rico, the Island
Areas, and on American Indian reservations. The Census Bureau
eliminated all population threshold requirements for Census 2000,
achieving consistency between CDPs and incorporated places, for which
the Census Bureau historically has published data without regard to
population size.
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\2\ Known by various terms throughout the United States: cities,
towns (except in the six New England States, New York, and
Wisconsin), villages, and boroughs (except in New York and Alaska).
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According to Census 2000, more than 35 million people in the United
States \3\, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas \4\ lived in CDPs. The
relative importance of CDPs varies from state to state depending on
laws governing municipal incorporation and annexation, but also
depending on local preferences and attitudes regarding the
identification of places.
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\3\ For Census Bureau purposes, the United States includes the
fifty states and the District of Columbia.
\4\ For Census Bureau purposes, the Island Areas includes the
U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. There are no CDPs in American
Samoa because villages cover its entire territory and population.
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II. Census Designated Place Criteria and Characteristics for the 2010
Census
The criteria proposed herein apply to the United States, including
American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, Puerto
Rico, and the Island Areas. In accordance with the final criteria, the
Census Bureau may modify and, if necessary, reject any proposals for
CDPs that do not meet the established criteria. In addition, the Census
Bureau reserves the right to modify the boundaries and attributes of
CDPs as needed to maintain geographic relationships before the final
tabulation geography is set for the 2010 Census.
The Census Bureau proposes the following criteria and
characteristics for use in identifying the areas that will qualify for
designation as CDPs for use in tabulating data from the 2010 Census,
the American Community Survey, the Puerto Rico Community Survey, the
Economic Census, and potentially other Census Bureau censuses and
surveys.
1. A CDP constitutes a single, closely settled center of population
that is named; to the extent possible, individual unincorporated
communities should be identified as separate CDPs. Similarly, a single
community should be defined as a single CDP as opposed to multiple CDPs
with each part referencing the community name and a directional term
(i.e., north, south, east, or west). Since a CDP is defined to provide
data for a single, named locality, the Census Bureau generally will not
accept combinations of places and hyphenated place names defined as a
CDP. For example, CDPs such as Poplar-Cotton Center and Downieville-
Lawson-Dumont are no longer acceptable. Combinations of places often
were defined as a single CDP in order to comply with the Census
Bureau's minimum population requirements. The Census Bureau's
elimination of population threshold criteria has made such combinations
unnecessary. Others were combined because visible features were not
available for use as boundaries for separate CDPs. The Census Bureau is
proposing use of some nonvisible boundaries so that participants can
separate individual communities and dispense with multi-place CDPs.
2. A CDP generally consists of a contiguous cluster of census
blocks comprising a single piece of territory and containing a mix of
residential and commercial uses similar to that of an incorporated
place of similar size. Some CDPs, however, may be predominantly
residential; such places should represent recognizably distinct,
locally known communities, but not typical suburban subdivisions.
Examples of such predominantly residential communities that can be
recognized as CDPs are colonias found along the U.S.-Mexico border,
small rural communities, and unincorporated resort and retirement
communities.
3. A CDP may not be located, either partially or entirely, within
an incorporated place or another CDP.
4. A CDP may not be coextensive with the boundaries of one or more
governmentally functioning Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs) in the six New
England states, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, nor may it encompass the entirety of one
town or township and contain portions of adjacent towns or townships.
This criterion is proposed for the first time for the 2010 Census
in order to eliminate redundancy in tabular presentations of data
published by the Census Bureau for towns/townships and places. For
instance, because geographic comparison tables and inventory tables
providing data for places also contain data for MCDs within these
twelve states, redundancy occurs wherever a CDP is coextensive with an
MCD. For example, in place-level tables for Massachusetts, data are
published for both Framingham town and Framingham CDP, the latter
covering the same population and territory as the former. In adopting
this criterion, the Census Bureau will explore ways to enhance the
presentation and visibility of data for MCDs in these twelve states, to
make it clearer that many of the MCDs in these states are seen as
similar to places in other parts of the United States.
5. A CDP may be located in more than one county but must not cross
state boundaries. It is important to note, however, that since county
boundaries provide important demarcations for communities, CDPs that
cross county lines should be kept to a minimum and identified only when
the community clearly sees itself existing on both sides of a county
boundary.
6. There are no minimum population or housing unit thresholds for
defining CDPs; however a CDP must contain some population or housing
units or both. The Census Bureau eliminated minimum population
thresholds for CDPs for Census 2000, enabling the identification and
tabulation of data for small, unincorporated communities, particularly
in rural areas, as CDPs. Six CDPs identified for Census 2000, however,
lacked any population and housing; three CDPs had some population, but
no housing units; and an additional 23 CDPs contained less than ten
housing units. The Census Bureau recognizes that some communities, such
as resort or other kinds of seasonal communities, may lack population
at certain times of the year. Nevertheless, there should be some
evidence, generally in the form of houses, barracks, dormitories,
commercial buildings and/or other structures, providing the basis for
local perception of the place's existence. For the 2010 Census, the
Census Bureau will not accept a CDP delineated with zero population and
zero housing units. The Census Bureau will review the
[[Page 17328]]
number of housing units within the place, as reported in the previous
decennial census, and consider whether additional information is needed
before recognizing the CDP. Participants submitting boundaries for
places with less than 10 housing units may be asked to provide
additional information attesting to the existence of the CDP.
7. CDP boundaries should follow visible features, except in those
circumstances when a CDP's boundary is coincident with the nonvisible
boundary of a state, county, MCD (in the six New England states,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and
Wisconsin), or incorporated place. In selected circumstances, CDP
boundaries can follow other nonvisible features. Reliance upon visible
features sometimes has resulted in overbounding of the CDP in order to
include housing units on both sides of a road or street feature. While
this has helped ensure accurate allocation of housing units to the
place, it also has meant that territory, population, and housing not
associated with the place have been included in the CDP. For the 2010
Census, advances and enhancements in the positional accuracy of housing
units within the Census Bureau's geographic databases make it possible
to consider the potential use of nonvisible boundaries when defining
CDPs. Such boundaries might include parcel boundaries and public land
survey system (PLSS) lines; fencelines; national, state, or local park
boundaries; ridgelines; or drainage ditches.
8. The CDP name should be one that is recognized and used in daily
communication by the residents of the community. Because unincorporated
communities lack legally-defined boundaries, a commonly used community
name and the geographic extent of its use by local residents is often
the best identifier of the extent of a place, the assumption being that
if residents associate with a particular name and use it to identify
the place in which they live, then the CDP's boundaries can be mapped
based on the use of the name. There should be features in the landscape
that use the name, such that a non-resident would have a general sense
of the location or extent of the community; for example, signs
indicating when one is entering the community; highway exit signs that
use the name; businesses, schools, or other buildings that make use of
the name. It should not be a name developed solely for planning or
other purposes (including simply to obtain data from the Census Bureau)
that is not in regular daily use by the local residents and business
establishments.
9. A CDP may not have the same name as an adjacent or nearby
incorporated place. The assumption behind this criterion is that if the
community does not have a name that distinguishes it from other nearby
communities, it probably is not a distinct place. Use of directional
terms (``north,'' ``south,'' ``east,'' ``west,'' and so forth) to
merely differentiate the name of a CDP from a nearby municipality where
this name is not in local use is not acceptable. For example, ``North
Laurel'' would be permitted as a name if this name were in local use. A
name such as ``Laurel North'' would not be permitted if it were not in
local use. Again, this has much to do with the way in which people
typically refer to the places in which they live. It is permissible to
change the name of a 2000 CDP for the 2010 Census if the new name
provides a better identification of the community.
III. Definitions of Key Terms
Alaska Native regional corporation (ANRC)--A corporate geographic
area established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (Pub. L.
92-203), to conduct both the business and nonprofit affairs of Alaska
Natives. Twelve ANRCs cover the State of Alaska except for the Annette
Island Reserve.
American Indian reservation (AIR)--A federally recognized American
Indian land area with boundaries established by final treaty, statute,
executive order, and/or court order, and over which a federally
recognized American Indian tribal government has governmental
authority. Along with reservations, designations such as colonies,
communities, pueblos, rancherias, and reserves apply to AIRs.
Census block--A geographic area bounded by visible and/or invisible
features shown on a map prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau. A block is
the smallest geographic entity for which the Census Bureau tabulates
decennial census data.
Coextensive--Descriptive of two or more geographic entities that
cover exactly the same area, with all boundaries shared.
Comunidad--A census designated place in Puerto Rico that is not
related to a municipio's seat of government; called an aldea or a
ciudad prior to the 1990 census.
Contiguous--Descriptive of geographic areas that are adjacent to
one another, sharing either a common boundary or point of contact.
Housing unit--A house, an apartment, a mobile home or trailer, or a
group of rooms or a single room occupied as a separate living quarter
or, if vacant, intended for occupancy as a separate living quarter.
Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat
separately from any other residents of the building and which have
direct access from outside the building or through a common hall.
Incorporated place--A type of governmental unit, incorporated under
state law as a city, town (except in New England, New York, and
Wisconsin), borough (except in Alaska and New York), or village,
generally to provide governmental services for a concentration of
people within legally prescribed boundaries.
Island areas--An entity, other than a state or the District of
Columbia, under the jurisdiction of the United States. For the 2010
Census, these will include American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and several
small islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Census
Bureau treats each Island Territory as the statistical equivalent of a
state.
Minor civil division--The primary governmental or administrative
division of a county in 28 states, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas
having legal boundaries, names, and descriptions. MCDs represent many
different types of legal entities with a wide variety of
characteristics, powers, and functions depending on the state and type
of MCD. In some states, some or all of the incorporated places also
constitute MCDs.
Municipio--A type of governmental unit that is the primary legal
subdivision of Puerto Rico. The Census Bureau treats the municipio as
the statistical equivalent of a county.
Nonvisible feature--A map feature that is not visible, such as a
city or county boundary, a property line running through space, a short
imaginary extension of a street or road, or a point-to-point line.
Statistical geographic entity--A geographic entity that is
specially defined and delineated, such as block group, CDP, or census
tract, so that the Census Bureau may tabulate data for it. Designation
as a statistical entity neither conveys nor confers legal ownership,
entitlement, or jurisdictional authority.
Urbanized area (UA)--An area consisting of a central place(s) and
adjacent urban fringe that together have a minimum residential
population of at least 50,000 people and generally an overall
population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile. The Census
Bureau uses published criteria to determine the qualification and
[[Page 17329]]
boundaries of UAs at the time of each decennial census or from the
results of a special census during the intercensal period.
Visible feature--A map feature that can be seen on the ground such
as a road, railroad track, major above-ground transmission line or
pipeline, stream, shoreline, fence, sharply defined mountain ridge, or
cliff. A nonstandard visible feature is a feature that may not be
clearly defined on the ground (such as a ridge), may be seasonal (such
as an intermittent stream), or may be relatively impermanent (such as a
fence). The Census Bureau generally requests verification that
nonstandard features pose no problem in their location during field
work.
Zona urbana--In Puerto Rico, the settled area functioning as the
seat of government for a municipio. A zona urbana cannot cross a
municipio boundary.
Executive Order 12866
This notice has been determined to be not significant under
Executive Order 12866.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This program notice does not represent a collection of information
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35.
Dated: April 3, 2007.
Charles Louis Kincannon,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. E7-6465 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am]
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