By Steve Walker (Steve Walker is a Vietnam Veteran, former Journalist and Justice of the Peace )
Census (plural noun) is an official count or “survey” of a population typically recording various details of individuals.The United States Census Bureauis a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing that data about the American people and economy.
Besides the term “Survey” you could other terms such as poll,review, investigation, inquiry, study, probe, questionnaire or opinion poll. The Census Bureau is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and its director is appointed by the President of the United States.”
The first Federal Population Census was taken in 1790, and a census has been taken every ten years since then. The downside is the ability to access recent data or data from as far back as 1940. The reason is simply due to a 72-year restriction on access to the Census. Most researchers find it helpful to begin with the 1940 Census and work backwards to locate people in earlier generations.
Census records can provide an avenue for your search to confirm information and learn so much more. Based on a census of one’s family such as grandparents or great grandparents could reveal much information such as name, age, state or country of birth, parents birthplace, year of immigration (if relevant) street address, marriage status and years of marriage, occupations, value of home and personal belongings, and more.
Did you know of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3%, are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept forever?
Those valuable records are preserved in the National Archives and are available to you, whether you want to see if they contain clues about your family’s history, need to prove a veteran’s military service, or are researching, an historical topic that interests you.
Focusing on San Antonio, 2016 to 2017, the Alamo City’s population grew by 24,408 people, more than any city in the United States, according to numbers released by the Census Bureau. San Antonio and Phoenix led the nation for total population growth, both adding over 24,000 people during the same time period.
On average, San Antonio grew by 66 people a day between 2016 and 2017, pushing the city over the 1.5 million population mark for the first time.
Commonly called Greater San Antonio, the metro area has a population of 2,473,974 based on the 2017 U.S. census estimate, making it the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the United States and third-largest in Texas. Aug 1 2019.
It would appear from our census that our growth is rapidly increasing and changing our landscape to reflect people of various and diverse ethnic backgrounds, educational diversity and skills that will benefit all of us.
