Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 12, 1990 TAG: 9005120006
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT RIVENBARK SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Census officials said 70.6 percent of about 500,000 Southwestern Virginia residents who received questionnaires in April have completed and returned them.
Those who haven't will be visited by one of 650 enumerators who will cover the 18 counties and four cities in census District 2873, which includes Roanoke and the New River Valley.
The census takers will visit every address that failed to return a questionnaire, said District Manager Landon McAllister.
He said those who haven't filled out their questionnaires "don't do it for a number of reasons, ranging from those who thought they were junk mail and threw them away to those who were intimidated by the long form and put it aside indefinitely."
McAllister said some people at new addresses received forms for previous occupants and were reluctant to cross out the old names on the forms.
To avoid possible duplications, McAllister asked residents who haven't returned their questionnaires yet to keep them until a census taker comes to collect them.
McAllister underscored the importance of accurate census information, saying that many state and federal programs are funded in accordance with census figures.
"That even applies to things people don't usually think about," he said.
"For example, the number of deputy sheriffs a Virginia county is allowed to hire is determined by census figures."
McAllister expects the enumerators to complete the job and have all the information from his district ready to send to the regional processing office in Jacksonville, Fla., by June 15.
FOR THE RECORD Correction ran Wednesday, May 16, 1990.
U.S. census takers started going door-to-door in the New River Valley last Wednesday to visit all residents who had not returned their census questionaire. A story in Saturday's Current said they would start soon. Howard Landon McAllister, manager of census District 2873, said the job would take four to six weeks.
Also, the district, headquartered in Christiansburg, includes 18 counties and four cities from the New River Valley to the western tip of the state, but does not include Roanoke.
Memo: correction