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Census 2000
Meki Cox McDougall and Chris McDougall play with daughter Maya, whose racial category for the 2000 Census was white, black, American Indian and Asian. (Barbara Johnston - for The Washington Post)
Why A Census?
The Constitution requires a census every 10 years to determine how many seats each state will have in the House of Representatives. The census quickly became recognized as a valuable tool to reap statistical data about the nation and its people. Over the decades, questions have been added and subtracted to reflect changes in society and changes in the need for information.
Why They Ask What They Ask
In the News
For Immigrants, Help Can Be Risky: Maryland Lawmakers Move to Rein In Consultants Who Overreach and Sometimes Get Clients Deported (Post, April 23, 2005)
U.S. Census Bureau Foresees A Diminished District in 2030 (Post, April 22, 2005)
D.C. Area Continues Strong Growth: 1 in 4 Newcomers Settles in Loudoun (Post, April 15, 2005)
Flow of Illegal Immigrants to U.S. Unabated: Mexicans Make Up Largest Group; D.C. Area Numbers Up 70 Percent Since 2000 (Post, March 22, 2005)
Transit Funding Shortage Foreseen: Summit Addresses Gridlock in N.Va. (Post, March 15, 2005)
Potomac Mills Owner Proposes Upscale Mall (Post, March 12, 2005)
Population Shows Gains And Losses: D.C. Young Adults Rise, Middle-Aged Decrease (Post, March 10, 2005)
Suburbs' Birthplace: A Dream Displaced: Once Low Cost, Levittown Out of Reach (Post, March 5, 2005)
Study: Many Blacks Cite AIDS Conspiracy: Prevention Efforts Hurt, Activists Say (Post, Jan. 25, 2005)
Job Gender Surveys May End: Agency Wants to Stop Collecting Male vs. Female Numbers (Post, Jan. 12, 2005)
In Much of Upper NW, It's Highchair Seating Only (Post, Jan. 2, 2005)
Salvadorans' Advocate Presses to Steer Some Projects Home (Post, Dec. 27, 2004)
Letters (Post, Dec. 26, 2004)
ESL Enrollment Slows in Inner Suburbs: Real Estate Prices And Zoning Cited (Post, Dec. 20, 2004)
New Focus on Offices in Frederick (Post, Dec. 13, 2004)
County Refocuses On Retail: Prince George's Aims For High-End Stores (Post, Dec. 8, 2004)
Lessons May Rise From Relics: Pr. William School, House Could Move to Black History Park (Post, Dec. 5, 2004)
Walking the Unfriendly Streets: Pedestrians' Fatality Rate Higher Than Drivers', Study Finds (Post, Dec. 3, 2004)
Learning Latin: Furniture Plays to Hispanic Shoppers With a Spanish Talk-Show Star (Post, Dec. 2, 2004)
Seeking A Share Of Power In Charles: Blacks Growing In Numbers as County Changes (Post, Dec. 1, 2004)
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