# What happened to Census 2000? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 29, 2000, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542 "2000-02-29T15:07:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/1 "2000-02-29T15:07:00Z")
Just when is Census 2000 being taken? I haven’t heard anything about it since a lot of hype in 1999. Maybe the Census Bureeau waits until after 4/15 when we’re done with all the IRS forms? Or, did I miss out already? 😉 * * * “They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/2 "2000-02-29T15:11:00Z")
I believe it starts in April. * * * I am the user formerly known as puffington. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/3 "2000-02-29T15:17:00Z")
You can find out a lot more than you ever wanted to know about Census 2000 on Yahoo: [Yahoo Census Coverage](http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/US/Census/) ---
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/4 "2000-02-29T16:18:00Z")
you must not be watching any tv. in the past 2 days, i’ve seen in the upwards of one census commercial every hour. and they’re decent commercials. or read the news about 125 million census letters mailed out with an extra digit in the address, due to a independent contractor’s error (they’ll still be mailed though, and get through). ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/5 "2000-02-29T16:27:00Z")
sort of obvious: [www.census2000.com](http://www.census2000.com) They start in Alaska, work their way south. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/6 "2000-02-29T16:46:00Z")
> [@](#): > > They start in Alaska, work their way south. What happens when everybody gets herded into Key West? * * * rocks ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/7 "2000-02-29T17:09:00Z")
Last time we did the census you were supposed to record everybody who lived at the place on April 1, 1990. Youngest Son was born April 2, 1990. He’s looking forward to finally being “recognized.” 😉 -Melin * * * Who is NOT Straight Dope Staff Siamese attack puppet – California ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/8 "2000-02-29T23:51:00Z")
Here in Chicago, there’s this goofy-ass commercial on the radio that has this ridiculous jingle telling us that it’s not too late to get a census job, which is apparently the most fun in the world, and it pays well. So, I guess if they’re still looking for workers, it must not have started yet. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2000, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/9 "2000-02-29T23:55:00Z")
I just heard a radio commercial today for the census, telling us how important is was to get our forms in. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/10 "2000-03-01T00:44:00Z")
is there any reason someone would not want to be counted? * * * “Men are like parking spaces, the available ones are handicapped.” ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/11 "2000-03-01T01:43:00Z")
Why wouldn’t anyone not want to be counted?? Illigal Alien is the most popular answer. ---
**Author:** ![SingleDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SingleDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleDad)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/12 "2000-03-01T04:44:00Z")
BTW: If your census taker has one of those little hand-held computers to enter your demographic and geographic information, I helped write the software. * * * Basking in my 15 minutes of fame… ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/13 "2000-03-01T06:36:00Z")
In theory, the material gathered in the US Census is kept confidential for 72 years. So, if you’re an illegal alien the INS won’t be able to find out. HOWEVER, during WWII, the Census Bureau did aid the Army in identifying parts of the United States that needed to be “made safe” from Japanese-Americans. Unfortunately, that incident has been a significant blot on the record of the Census Bureau. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/14 "2000-03-01T06:53:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Why wouldn’t anyone not want to be counted?? Nut-job armed militias aren’t too keen on it either. * * * I am the user formerly known as puffington. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/15 "2000-03-01T11:37:00Z")
Most households will get an advance letter next week, telling them that the Census forms are coming soon. The letter will also have a paragraph on the back, in Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, telling you how you can get a Census form mailed to you in one of those languages if you need it. Sometime in mid-March, you’ll get the actual household Census questionnaire in the mail. One in every six households gets a long form that takes about 30-40 minutes to fill out; everyone else gets a short form that takes less time to fill out than it’s taking me to type this post. If you want the government to spend less money, fill out the forms and send them in pronto. If you don’t, we get into the **expensive** part of the Census: having enumerators knock on the doors of the people who didn’t send in their forms by early April. This is the part that costs literally billyuns and billyuns of dollars, as Sagan might’ve said. The more people who mail returns back, the fewer enumerators have to be sent out door to door, and the lower the cost of the Census to the taxpayers. Some parts of the Census have already begun. In March and April, the remote areas of Alaska have thawed just enough to be impassable; the enumeration up there was done last month, when things were still frozen. And persons aboard naval and maritime ships who aren’t expected back in until after mid-April have already filled out their individual shipboard returns. But those are the exceptions. For most of us, the Census will effectively take place later this month. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/16 "2000-03-01T16:05:00Z")
Yeah but most people are english illiterate & won’t be able to do them. [census2000.com](http://census2000.com) is very fast site & tons of info on everything the collected before. Its great reading. You can find out lots of stuff about your city. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/17 "2000-03-01T19:01:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by BobT: > \*\*In theory, the material gathered in the US Census is kept confidential for 72 years. \*\* ## Nossir, it’s 70 exactly. Found my granddad’s 1920 census info in 1990. I thought it was pretty cool. Cave Diem! Carpe Canem! ---
**Author:** ![earendel1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@earendel1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/earendel1)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/18 "2000-03-02T13:08:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by RTFirefly: > **Most households will get an advance letter next week, telling them that the Census forms are coming soon. The letter will also have a paragraph on the back, in Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, telling you how you can get a Census form mailed to you in one of those languages if you need it.** It’s even possible to complete the Census form over the Internet (the short version only). The hope is that 7 million people will use the Internet, which will save the Census Bureau money and also perhaps increase the number of people being counted. The latter, I believe, is probably not the case – those who don’t want to be counted won’t use the Internet (or don’t have access to it). ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/19 "2000-03-02T13:43:00Z")
Why, golly, I got mine in the mail just the other day. I doffed my terrycloth robe, sat down at the Ole Formica Table, poured a cup 'o Folgers, took my diagonally sliced Wonder Bread Toast in hand that had been schmeared with Smuckers (Cause with a name like Smuckers, it’s gotta be good), lit my unfiltered Camel, and started to jot down some helpful info with my # 2 Eberhard Faber pencil. ``` After that, I spent the rest of the day killing ants with my magnifying glass. Cartooniverse ``` * * * If you want to kiss the sky, you’d better learn how to kneel. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2000, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542/20 "2000-03-02T16:12:00Z")
'…In theory, the material gathered in the US Census is kept confidential for 72 years. ’ It is? How come you can download it all from 1990-97? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-census-2000/8542.md?page=2)