Elected officials will have to wait until June to file formal challenges to Houston’s omigosh-where’d-everybody-go? low population count in the 2010 Census, but the grousing has already begun. Houston’s population came in just a Florida recount under 2.1 million; that’s about 160K fewer people than the Census Bureau’s own American Community Survey figured were camping out within city limits the previous year.
Census maps show a huge section of east Houston — most of the area inside Loop 610, east of Interstate 45 – lost population, as did sections of southwest and northeast Houston.
Those areas are predominantly Latino and African-American, populations that historically are most likely to be missed by the census. . . .
[State Rep. Ana] Hernandez Luna said some people, especially immigrants who are here illegally, may have been reluctant to participate, despite assurances that the information would not be shared with immigration agents.
“We’re all a bit skeptical when we’re giving so much detailed information about our household,” she said. “For those that are undocumented, they want the least amount of contact they can have with the government.”
Meanwhile, an analysis of the Census data prepared by Houston’s planning dept. shows that census workers counted 71.7 percent more vacant housing units in the city in 2010 than they did in 2000.
- City to challenge census count [Houston Chronicle]
- Basic Census Data Comparison: 2000 & 2010 (PDF) [Planning Dept.]
- Previously on Swamplot: New 2010 Census Numbers Document Houston’s Trickle-In Decade
I’m not a “Grassy Knoll” conspiracy kook, but I was slightly reticent about filling out the “long” census form. I returned the “short form” a few months earlier and was surprised to receive the more detailed document. I threw away the first packet thinking it was an error or some scam. I guess I managed to move too often to skip the 1990 and 2000 census and had vague recollections of filling out the 1980 form. I can see why people, regardless of race, wouldn’t want to fill the thing out. With all the scams and other b.s., a more secure and trustworthy reporting system is,hopefully, in the offing for 2020? The constant phone and mail badgering finally did the trick for complying. I hope I didn’t skew any results by stating my race as “Ecru”.
Chicago does not want to lose the #3 and Houston is (was) gaining on them.
The Golden City of Mayor Rham; Obie One; illiterate census takers.
This could at least justify a fun conspiracy theory that somebody does not want to see the South continue its rise.
Missed me.
Craig,
You’re forgetting the the growth in the south is from Blacks and Hispanics… and they typically vote Democrat. Dems are excited about the growth in the south because it shows a weakening conservative south.
So is the city going to claim there are about 160,000 illegal immigrants that weren’t counted or just claim that there are about 160,000 citizens that weren’t counted?
No doubt it will become political. The deranged Republicans versus the delusional Democrats.
Should be fun to see how the Texas legislature “redistricts” us. With or without the “more or less” census count.
Once Blacks and Hispanics get a taste of economic freedom without the guilty chains of the Dem overlords they will be voting Rep and whistling Dixie.
Way to be exceedingly glib Craig. I suspect you long for more greed mongering Republicans, who care for nothing short of the almighty dollar. No doubt you’re likely Caucasian and likely have led a very fortunate existence.
blacks and hispanics will never make enough money to make it worth their while to vote republican as a majority. i’m an engineer and not even i make enough to vote republican.
Maybe those illegals who didn’t fill out the census just didn’t give a dang about filling out some paperwork for the government. Why does it have to be they were scared? Maybe they don’t care just as much as any other red-blooded American.
Apparently now that it is harder to post comments at the Chron.Com, folks like Craig have found Swamplot. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted…
From doofus:
Apparently now that it is harder to post comments at the Chron.Com, folks like Craig have found Swamplot. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted…
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The Chronicle is a blog with a print edition that no one reads. Swamplot is a blog without a print edition that everyone reads. As for Craig, Republicans hae a right to express themselves. And be ignored. Same as Democrats. The nice thing about having a real estate license, I mention this only because this is a real estate blog, is that it doesn’t matter if you are Republican or Democrat. All that matters to the seller is whether you can can find a buyer willing to pay more for the home than it’s worth and all that matters to the buyer is whether you can find a seller willing to sell the home for less than it’s worth. And that of course is why we now have listing agents and buyers agents. Makes it easier to remember who you are “pulling a fast one on.”
I did NRFU (Non Response Followup) surveys for the census in the wedge between 45 and the Ship Channel and this doesn’t suprise me at all.
LOTS of people don’t answer the door. Lots more told me of one, two, or three residents when in fact an evening visit’s observations yielded six or eight.