2000 Census

Maryland became a bigger, more suburban and more racially diverse state during the 1990s. The first detailed returns from the 2000 census show that the flight of white and black families from the largest cities continued, draining Baltimore and Washington of hefty chunks of their populations. At the same time, thousands more families - largely white - kept on going. They left or leapfrogged the inner suburbs, leaving them less white and more racially diverse than ever before. They built their new homes in former cornfields of the outer ring of suburban counties, bringing more-crowded roads and schools to once-rural landscapes from Harford in the north to Calvert in the south.

In Washington these days, "Bush-Cheney" bumper stickers on cars with Texas license plates may be multiplying like mad. But back in the Lone Star State, the bumper sticker of the moment reflects a different demographic trend. It reads, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could." After a close look at the first wave of numbers from the 2000 census, demographers have concluded that a dramatic population increase in Texas since 1990 is at least partly the result of people moving from other parts of the country in search of an easier lifestyle, a lower cost of living and a more hospitable climate.

The Bureau of the Census is testing prospective census takers, crew leaders and office clerks for the 2000 Census. The tests are given weekdays and some Saturdays around the county. The bureau needs temporary staff to make sure everyone is counted in the 2000 Census in Carroll County. Census workers work in their community, set their hours and can be reimbursed for authorized expenses. All positions are paid competitive wages. Appointments are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome. Bring two forms of identification.

Wearing dark suits and trailed by television cameras, the two men strode to the front of the room, smiling and greeting their audience like the seasoned politicians they are. But Baltimore County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger and Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin had no intention of delivering a dry address on tax cuts, health policy or the race for president. Their visit to Chantel Harris' fourth-grade class at Owings Mills Elementary School yesterday was designed to impart a message of civic duty and representation specifically tailored for a group of 22 well-behaved 9- and 10-year-olds.

FOR POLITICIANS, it's never too early to worry about the next election. But these days, the fretting is more intense than usual, thanks to once-a-decade redistricting. Incumbent legislators -- and their would-be challengers -- can only make educated guesses as to what their districts are going to look like when the governor and General Assembly draw new legislative maps in 2002. Those decisions will be based on figures from the 2000 census, which are due to be delivered to the state next spring.

WASHINGTON -- The Census Bureau unveiled its first-ever paid advertising campaign yesterday as part of a $167 million effort to reach minority groups that have been missed in past national head counts.The campaign is aimed at reversing a 30-year trend toward fewer Americans completing and returning the census forms that are mailed out once a decade. The ads will target groups that have historically been undercounted: blacks, Latinos, American Indians and new immigrants from all countries.

In a cavernous new $7 million warehouse in Rosedale, federal contractors are unloading boxes and lining up computers, preparing for an onslaught of more than 35 million U.S. Census forms that will arrive next spring when America pauses for its decennial portrait.Local planners -- with billions of dollars of federal funding and the division of electoral power at stake -- are updating mailing lists and forming publicity teams, hoping that every Marylander gets in the picture."It's an uphill battle," said Gloria Griffin, census coordinator in the Baltimore Department of Planning.

WASHINGTON -- While Republicans and Democrats in Congress continue high-stakes maneuvering over the 2000 Census, the state of Arizona has sent Washington a defiant message on what kinds of numbers will -- and won't -- be acceptable inside its borders.A new Arizona law, whipped through the Republican-controlled Legislature on a largely party-line vote and signed Thursday by GOP Gov. Jane Dee Hull, would require the state to use only population figures from a straight head count as it remaps legislative and congressional districts.

With the 2000 census on the horizon and federal dollars at stake, local officials are scrambling to make sure every household in Carroll County is on the U.S. Census Bureau's street address list.In recent months, county planners and town leaders have been poring over Census Bureau data and going door to door, double-checking the federal agency's address list."The pre-review is an exhaustive process that requires a lot of man-hours, and requires employees to pore over data," said Steven C. Horn, county planning director.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Five decades of population decline is over.Experts say Albany's population will level off at slightly more than 100,000 in the 2000 census, narrowly averting getting shoved into the urban minor leagues.The city isn't going to experience anything like dynamic growth, but experts believe the population has stabilized. There are several reasons for the turnaround. The number of people leaving the city isn't increasing. Experts also cited growing immigrant and minority communities, as well as a steady influx of college and university students.