Published: September 30, 2009 12:34 pm      

Strength in numbers: Census count critical to local cities and towns

While it wasn’t my favorite course in high school or college, I still certainly realized the importance of math.

Algebra wasn’t very fun — to be honest — back in high school. At the time, I was more into drawing and writing news articles for the school newspaper than I was into counting numbers.

My general disdain for math continued through the college years — until I took French II. Then I realized there was one thing in life less fun than counting, and that was speaking in another language. I breezed through my first French class in high school, but the college level course was a little bit tougher

Today, I actually realize the importance of math, but I must confess I haven’t had a single opportunity since college to speak in French. I’m sure one of these days I will put those foreign language speaking skills to the test, but for now, it is simply a skill that remains largely dormant. However, I still have to do math — just about every day. Thankfully, I can use calculators. Come to think of it — why didn’t they let me use a calculator back in high school? That would have made things so much more simpler.

Actually, we are all going to hear a lot more about counting, and being counted, over the next year. Preparations for the Census 2010 study are underway, and the ramifications of this year’s census count could be significant on cities such as Bluefield and Princeton.

When the last census was completed 10 years ago, Bluefield had a final population of around 11,000. The new census — and getting an accurate count — is going to be critical to the city of Bluefield.

Nature’s Air-Conditioned City is currently ranked as a Class 3 city. However, if Bluefield’s population falls below 10,000, it would become a Class 2 city. That change in classification could have a direct and negative impact upon Bluefield, particularly in terms of revenue streams from the state and federal government.

It will be interesting to see if Bluefield can hold a population above 10,000. A lot has happened over the past nine years, but there hasn’t necessarily been a large economic boon in Bluefield — something that would bring a lot of new people into the city. And I am sad to report that I, too, have moved out of Bluefield. So you can go ahead and count one less person in Nature’s Air-Conditioned City.

The city of Princeton has a current population of 6,347, and officials are hoping those numbers will hold or even grow during the 2010 Census. The city of Princeton by comparison has seen a lot growth over the past 10 years. However, it is unlikely that Princeton’s classification will change — for the better or worse — in the new census count.

The new census count also will have a direct — and perhaps troubling — impact on many smaller cities and towns across our region. It will be interesting to see how McDowell County comes out of the new census report. There is a lot of construction and growth going on in McDowell County right now, but there were also a lot of people who left McDowell County after the devastating floods of 2001 and 2002.

Small towns like Northfork, Kimball, Gary and Anawalt could see their census numbers directly impacted by the ravaging floods of 2001 and 2002. Many homes were destroyed during the horrific floods, and many families chose not to rebuild. The small community of Landgraf is a sad example. Many homes that existing along Route 52 in the Landgraf community are now gone today — replaced by empty fields of green.

While Virginia has enjoyed much success over the past nine years, it is unlikely that the Virginia side localities will see any significant population gains. If school enrollment is any indication, many towns and cities will probably see decreases instead of gains in the new census count.

In reality, a lot is counting on the Census 2010 report. That’s why city officials are emphasizing the importance of having all citizens counted in the new report. Many people may not like the idea of being visited by census workers, and having to share personal information. Some are already grumbling about the upcoming census — arguing that is another example of government intrusion into our daily lives.

I honestly can’t remember the last census. Hopefully I was counted — and, hopefully, I and everyone else will be counted again next year. For small cities across our region, and even larger cities like Bluefield and Princeton, there is strength in numbers. That’s why they are hoping for an accurate and positive census count.

Charles Owens is the Daily Telegraph’s city editor. Contact him at cowens@bdtonline.com