[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 96 (Monday, May 19, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27217-27219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13051]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Bureau of the Census
[Docket No. 970501104-7104-01]
Census County Division (CCD) Program for Census 2000--Proposed
Criteria
AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of proposed program revision and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Census county divisions (CCDs) are geographic statistical
entities established cooperatively by the Census Bureau and officials
of state and local governments in 21 states where minor civil divisions
(MCDs) either do not exist or are unsatisfactory for reporting
decennial census data. The primary goal of the CCD program is to
establish and maintain a set of subcounty units that have stable
boundaries and recognizable names. A CCD usually represents one or more
communities, trading centers, or, in some instances, major land uses.
It usually consists of a single geographic piece that is relatively
compact in shape. The geographic ``building blocks'' of CCDs are census
tracts, and many CCDs are groupings of several contiguous census
tracts.
Since the 1950s, the Census Bureau has worked with state and local
officials to create subcounty areas for the collection, presentation,
and analysis of census statistics in states where MCDs do not exist,
are not well-known locally, or are subject to frequent change. By 1990,
21 states had shifted to CCDs: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada,
New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming. Once a state has replaced its MCDs with CCDs,
it usually keeps them throughout subsequent decennial censuses. For
Census 2000, all of the above 21 states will retain their CCDs.
To maintain and update the boundaries and names of CCDs for Census
2000, the Census Bureau offers a program for state and local officials
to review and update their 1990 CCDs according to criteria developed
and promulgated by the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau then reviews
their CCD plans for conformance to these criteria.
As the first step in this process, the Census Bureau is requesting
comments on the CCD criteria proposed for Census 2000. These criteria
will apply only to states with CCDs. The Census Bureau may modify and,
if necessary, reject any CCD changes that do not meet its criteria.
Besides the proposed criteria, this notice includes a description
of the changes from the criteria used for the 1990 census and a list of
definitions of key terms used in the criteria.
DATES: Any suggestions or recommendations concerning the proposed
criteria should be submitted in writing by June 18, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Director, Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233-0001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Joel Morrison, Chief, Geography
Division, Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233-7400, telephone
(301) 457-1132, or e-mail (jmorrison@geo.census.gov).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CCD criteria have evolved in response to
decennial census practices and the preferences of state and local
participants and data users. After each decennial census, the Census
Bureau, in consultation with program participants and data users,
reviews and revises these criteria. Then, before the next decennial
census, the Census Bureau offers participants and data users an
opportunity to correct, update, and otherwise improve their CCDs.
In July and August 1995, the Census Bureau issued invitations to
state and local groups and agencies to participate in the delineation
of statistical geographic areas for Census 2000. These included state
and regional planning agencies, councils of governments, and county
planning agencies.
In 1997, the Census Bureau will provide materials and detailed
guidelines to program participants for the review and delineation of
CCDs for Census 2000.
[[Page 27218]]
A. Criteria for Delineating CCDs for Census 2000
The Census Bureau requires that CCDs: (1) Have community
orientation, (2) have visible, stable boundaries, (3) conform to
groupings of census tracts, and (4) have recognizable names.
1. Community Orientation
Each CCD should focus on one or more communities or places and take
in the additional surrounding territory that is served by these in some
fashion. The definition of community should take into account factors
such as production, marketing, consumption, and the integrating factor
of local institutions.
The community on which a CCD is centered usually is an incorporated
place or a census designated place (CDP). In some cases, the CCD may be
centered on a major area of significantly different land use or
ownership, such as a large military base or American Indian reservation
(AIR). In other situations, a CCD can represent an area that is
physiographically different from the rest of the county. A CCD should
always consist of a single geographic piece that is relatively compact
in shape.
2. Visible, Stable Boundaries
A CCD should have easily locatable boundaries that seldom change.
These should be readily discernible in the field and easy to depict on
maps. This provision makes the location of boundaries less ambiguous
and easier for data users to locate. The following features are
acceptable:
County boundaries (always a CCD boundary).
Census tract boundaries, which usually follow visible,
perennial natural and cultural features such as roads, rivers, canals,
railroads, above-ground high-tension power lines, and so forth.
AIR boundaries.
Conjoint city limits (in certain situations).
When the above types of features are not available for selection,
the Census Bureau may, at its discretion, approve nonstandard visible
features such as ridge lines, pipelines, intermittent streams, fence
lines, and so forth. The Census Bureau also may accept, on a case-by-
case basis, the boundaries of selected nonstandard and potentially
nonvisible features such as the boundaries of national parks and
forests, cemeteries, or other special land-use properties, the
straight-line extensions of visible features, and other lines of sight.
3. Groupings of Census Tracts, CCD Population Size
A CCD should almost always consist of one census tract or a
combination of contiguous census tracts. Therefore, CCD boundaries
should conform to census tract boundaries. In counties that had block
numbering areas (BNAs) in 1990, program participants will be converting
the BNAs to census tracts. For these counties, the Census Bureau
strongly recommends adjusting the CCDs to conform to groupings of
census tracts. As an alternative, program participants may use the CCD
framework as a basis for establishing some or all of their census
tracts. It is permissible to use both approaches.
In a few exceptional situations, some CCD boundaries may not need
to follow census tract boundaries, and there may be two or more 1990
CCDs within one census tract. Usually, such situations are limited to
very sparsely populated counties with a large land area.
Population size is not as important a consideration with CCDs as it
is with census tracts. Historically, CCDs have ranged from a few
hundred people (in selected situations) to more than one million.
However, insofar as possible, CCDs that are new for Census 2000 should
have a population of at least 1,500 people, the recommended minimum for
a census tract.
4. Name Identification
A CCD usually should be named after the largest population center
or place within it (Los Angeles). Sometimes a CCD name may represent
the two largest centers; for example, Bayard-Santa Rita. In some
situations, a CCD may be named after a prominent physical feature
(Castle Rock, Lake Mono, Pikes Peak) or a distinctive region within the
county (Death Valley, Everglades, Lower Keys, Tellico Plains). In other
cases, a CCD name may consist of the county name and a compass
direction to indicate the portion of the county in the CCD, or a place
name and a compass direction to give the CCD location relative to the
place. The directional indicator usually precedes a county name, as in
Northwest Union. If a place name is used, the directional indicator
follows it; for example, Smithville North. In all cases, the objective
is to identify clearly the extent of the CCD by means of an area name;
CCD names always should be meaningful to data users.
5. Revisions to Existing CCDs
Some 1990 CCD boundaries have errors. Most of these involve small
areas where the CCD boundaries and census tract boundaries were
supposed to be conjoint but were not. The Census Bureau will bring
these specific situations to the attention of local participants and
request that they submit corrections.
The Census Bureau does not encourage state and local officials to
make major revisions to their CCDs since the goal of the program is to
maintain a set of stable subcounty entities that allows data
comparability from census-to-census. However, updates and revisions may
be necessary in some instances, such as where there have been county
boundary changes, revisions to census tract boundaries, or as part of
the initial delineation of census tracts. Additionally, revisions to
CCD names may be necessary due to population changes within CCDs.
6. Final Approval of CCDs
The Census Bureau reserves the right to approve all CCD proposals
for Census 2000. The Census Bureau will make an effort to reach
agreement with local participants, but cannot approve the CCDs
submitted if the changes are unwarranted or do not meet Census 2000
criteria. If necessary, the Census Bureau will revise CCDs that do not
meet its requirements.
B. Changes to the Criteria for Census 2000
Most provisions of the CCD criteria remain unchanged from those
used in conjunction with the 1990 census. The only major change is the
shift to census tracts in all counties that had BNAs and the need to
adjust the CCDs in those counties to the boundaries of census tracts.
Definitions of Key Terms
American Indian reservation (AIR)--A Federally recognized American
Indian entity with boundaries established by treaty, statute, and/or
executive or court order and over which American Indians have
governmental jurisdiction. Along with reservation, designations such as
colonies, communities, pueblos, rancherias, and reserves apply to AIRs.
Block numbering area (BNA)--A small-area, statistical geographic
division of a county or statistically equivalent area delineated in
1990 instead of and generally geographically equivalent to a census
tract. For Census 2000, the Census Bureau is merging the BNA program
with the census tract program and converting all BNAs to census tracts.
Census block--The smallest geographic entity for which the Census
Bureau collects and tabulates decennial
[[Page 27219]]
census information, bounded on all sides by visible and nonvisible
features identified by the Census Bureau in computer files and on maps.
Census designated place (CDP)--A locally recognized, closely
settled population center identified by name. The Census Bureau uses
CDPs to present data for localities that otherwise would not be
identified as places in its data products.
Census tract--A small, relatively permanent statistical geographic
subdivision of a county or statistically equivalent area defined for
the tabulation of data. For Census 2000, the Census Bureau is replacing
BNAs with census tracts.
Conjoint--A description of a boundary shared by two adjacent
geographic areas.
Contiguous--A description of geographic areas that are adjacent to
one another, sharing either a common boundary or point.
Incorporated place--A type of governmental unit, sanctioned by
state law as a city, town (except in New England, New York, and
Wisconsin), village, or borough (except in Alaska and New York) having
legally prescribed limits, powers, and functions.
Minor civil division (MCD)--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.
Nonvisible feature--A map feature that is not visible on the ground
such as a city or county boundary through space, a property line, a
short line-of-sight extension of a road, or a point-to-point line of
sight.
Special place--A specific location requiring special enumeration
because the location includes people not in households or the area
includes special land use. Special places include facilities with
resident population, such as correctional institutions, military
installations, college campuses, workers' dormitories, hospitals,
nursing homes and group homes and land-use areas such as national
parks. A special place includes the entire facility, including
nonresidential areas and staff housing units as well as all group
quarters population.
Visible feature--A map feature that one can see on the ground such
as a road, railroad track, above-ground transmission line, 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 are easily locatable.
Dated: May 1, 1997.
Martha Farnsworth Riche,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. 97-13051 Filed 5-16-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
