This year’s census marks a turning point for the Eastern Panhandle. Consider the following: the population of Charles Town grew 63.9 percent from 2000 to 2008. Shepherdstown grew 42.71 percent and Martinsburg’s change was 13.68 percent. While the rest of the state is generally losing population, our region has experienced unprecedented growth. One need only look at the hundreds of houses that have been built in the past 10 years to understand the population explosion. According to the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, Jefferson is the fastest growing county in the state. The ramifications of this shift in population will likely cause a redistribution of power in the state as district lines are redrawn. The census determines how many seats the Eastern Panhandle will have in legislative bodies. The legislature, once dominated by coal interests in the southern part of the state, may find itself hearing a more powerful voice from the Eastern Panhandle.

A higher head count can also translate to increased federal funds for the area. Every year, more than $300 billion of federal funding is distributed according to census data. An inaccurate count can mean a loss of money that could otherwise be used to improve local public services. According to County Commissioner Jim Surkamp, “For every person that isn’t counted in the census, county and local government will lose roughly $500 yearly in video lottery distributions.”

For people concerned about the county getting its fair slice of the pie, it is especially important for local residents to take time to fill out their census forms. In the past, many people have avoided filling out the census because of its perceived complexity and length. To combat this issue Census 2010 has been radically redesigned to include only 10 questions that should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. Census 2010 also has addressed concern about its confidentiality, stressing that by law the census is not allowed to share any information it collects. The information cannot be seen by other federal or law enforcement agencies.

The census’s website, www.census.gov, is trying to help communities proactively inform their residents and collect accurate data. For example, it provides special materials for non-native speakers. In this region the Latino population has been traditionally undercounted because of its concern with privacy issues.

Another undercounted population is university and college students. Many people don’t realize that a person is considered a resident in the location where they spend 70 percent of the year. Locally, this means that Shepherd University students living in the dorms or off campus will be counted as Jefferson County residents.

Official Census forms will be mailed to households across the entire U.S. on March 11. Later, official census takers will do door-to-door canvassing to capture data from households that fail to return their forms.

This article was written by Jeremy Horner and Joyce Orlando students in Shepherd University’s Advertising & Imagery class, which is collaborating with the Jefferson County Commission to promote census participation.