F’burg office supports local census operations

The U.S. Census in Virginia is ready for 2010.

In fact, three temporary offices have been open in the state since 2008 — in Alexandria, Richmond and Roanoke.

Now, an office in Fredericksburg is one of nine new local census offices in Virginia, according to a recent release.

The Fredericksburg location at 4505 Carr Drive in the Jackson Square office complex supports 2010 census operations for Culpeper, Madison, Orange and Spotsylvania counties and the city of Fredericksburg, among other localities.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Census Bureau appointed a slate of people to staff the Fredericksburg location, including office manger Rose Thomas of Caroline County.

In mid-March, census questionnaires will be mailed or delivered to every American residence. The government requires citizens to complete the 10-question survey and mail it back by April 1.

Among the census questions are: number of people living at each residence, type of housing, telephone number, sex and date of birth of occupants, race and Hispanic country of origin (if applicable). The census forms will be available in Spanish and English.

Census takers may visit residences that do not send back their forms by April 1 through July of 2010.

By law, the U.S. Census will deliver population figures to the president by next December. Redistricting data will be sent to individual states by March 2011.