Information about a Community

Jump to: Background Information / Finding Population Statistics / Citing Your Sources

Finding Background Information about a Community

Books at the Oviatt Library

Use the Library Catalog. Be sure to note the location (floor, stored, etc.) of the book as well as the call number. Be aware that the history of a community within the city boundaries of Los Angeles (example: Pacoima, Northridge, etc.) may be included in books about the history of the San Fernando Valley or about Los Angeles as well as in whatever books there may be about the specific community. Examples:

• Los Angeles A to Z: An Encyclopedia of the City and County
  (shelved in the Reference Room, call number = ref F 869 .L84 .P58 1997)
• Los Angeles and Its Environs in the Twentieth Century: A Bibliography of a Metropolis 1970-1990, with a Directory of Resources in Los Angeles County (shelved in the Reference Room under call number = ref F 869 .l857 R83 1996)
• The Ethnic Quilt: Population Diversity in Southern California
  (shelved in the Reference Room, call number = ref F 867 .A45 1997; additional copies are on Reserve)

Newspaper Articles

Recent issues of the Los Angeles Times and the Daily News newspapers are available online via Proquest Newspapers or Lexis-Nexis Academic. (Check the database for dates included online; Proquest currently includes a greater time span for the Los Angeles Times).

• The library also owns, on microfilm, all issues of the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News, and a number of other newspapers. (Newspapers usually go back much further on microfilm than in electronic format though ProQuest Historical Newspapers Los Angeles Times makes older years of the Los Angeles Times available online). Microform can be very useful since online versions of newspapers may not include photographs, charts, and other graphic materials.
• Los Angeles Times Index (Reference Room, Table 3) is a print index to major articles from that newspaper since 1972. There also is an index on microfilm for the Los Angeles Times from 1912-1945.

 Other Interesting Facts

• Los Angeles Department of City Planning. This web site has the city's General Plan for development. The Los Angeles City Community Plans that are part of the General Plan sometimes include a brief history of the community.
• Some city web sites, such as Burbank and San Fernando, offer a brief city history. The California Home Page includes a link to a list of California City Websites.
• RAND California Statistics (Oviatt Library subscription) has lots of statistics about California cities and counties. Some data is available by zip code. An online training exercise for RAND California Statistics is available.
• These Oviatt Library online subject guides may help you find additional interesting information:
  • Los Angeles Government Sources
  • San Fernando Valley Statistics and Facts
  • Community Information by Zip Code

Finding Population or Housing Statistics about a Community

The Census of Population and Housing provides a statistical look at population and housing characteristics in the United States. This information is collected every ten years. To find statistics about part of a city, use the part of the census information called census-tract data. Census tracts are small geographic areas. (In Los Angeles County, census tracts are smaller in size than ZIP code areas). Census tract data is available on the internet (tract level data from 2000 and 1990) and in printed form (1990 and several other older Censuses).

To understand the data, you must know:

1. What questions were asked. (If they did not ask the question, you will not find the data in the Census).
   • Information about the Decennial Census includes the questions asked of everyone and those asked of just a sample of the households.
   • Census 2000 Questionnaires
2. Difference between 100 percent and sample data. The 2000 Census data sets called Summary File 1 and Summary File 2 include data from questions asked on 100 percent of the 2000 Census survey forms. Summary File 3 and Summary File 4 give sample data information based on the answers given by the sample of households that received a questionnaire which included additional questions. (See Census 2000 products by geographic type (including census tract), subject, and product for which data set file has specific data).
3. Definitions of terminology used in the 2000 Census (Use Abode Reader for links in PDF format)
   • American Factfinder has a Glossary (link is in the bar near the top of the page)
   • Appendix B of the Summary File 1 Technical Documentation (PDF) has definitions of 100 per cent subjects.
   • Appendix B of the Summary File 3 Technical Documentation (PDF) has definitions of sample subjects.
   • Racial and Ethnic Classifications Used in Census 2000 and Beyond

Census Tract Data on the Internet

Tract-level data is available on the internet at the Census Bureau web site. A detailed online guide entitled Finding Census Tract Data on the Internet has specific instructions on how to find the data. Tract-level data from Census 2000 is not available in print format.

Tips on which data set to use:

American Factfinder can find Fact Sheets, Quick Tables, and data tables from Data Sets for each census tract. Finding Census Tract Data on the Internet includes details regarding how to find data about a census tract in each of these formats. Fact Sheets and Quick Tables are very easy to create and use, but give the information on some topics in less detail than can be found in the Data Sets. As an example, a Fact Sheet will tell you how many people live in Group Housing, but not what type of group housing it is. A Quick Table is a little more detailed, dividing those living in Group Housing at the time the Census was taken into those in institutional group quarters and those in non-institutionalized group quarters. Searching for your data in a Data Set allows you to get more detailed data on this topic. Using the Data Set Summary File 1, you can find out how many in your census tract were living in nursing homes, college dormitories, halfway houses for drug/alcohol users, homes for the mentally ill, prisons, military barracks, homes for abused/neglected children and many other specific types of Group Quarters at the time the Census was taken. It is easy to start with a Fact Sheet and/or Quick Tables, but if they do not have detailed enough information for your assignment you will need to search for your information using Data Sets.

If you need to find data using Data Sets, Census 2000 Summary File 1 and Summary File 2 data sets focus on Age, Hispanic or Latino Origin, Race, Sex, Household Relationship, and whether Homeowners or Renters. Census 2000 Summary File 3 and Summary File 4 data sets focus on sample topics, i.e.: Ancestry, Citizenship, Disability, Educational Attainment, Income, Industry, Language Spoken at Home, Marital Status, Migration, Occupation, Place of Birth, Place of Work, Poverty, Public Assistance Income, Rent, School Enrollment, Tenure, and Units in Structure. Those who need to use data sets often need to use two data sets, Summary File 1 and Summary File 3. Summary File 2 and Summary File 4 enable the user to get data broken down by more detailed ethnic group/race. 1990 Census data is also available online and should be used if you want to compare results from 1990 and 2000.

Computer tips

Pop-up blockers: The Census Bureau advises users that pop-up blocker software may affect American Factfinder in unusual ways. So, if you use a pop-up blocker, make sure it is turned off when you use American Factfinder.

If you have a computer at home or work, you can access census data and print it or save it to your computer. American Factfinder is a non-subscription database (i.e. free), so no special log-in is required when using it off campus. Be careful when printing at home; some tables produced by American Factfinder are too wide to print correctly unless you change your printer settings from portrait to landscape.

If you plan to do this assignment using a computer in the Oviatt Library and have questions about using the computer, go to the Reference Desk on the first floor and ask for assistance. Here are some tips on how to print/save/e-mail the data you find:

• You can print your results in the Oviatt Library (requires a photocopy/print debit card) or bring a formatted disc or USB Flash Drive/USB Stick with you to save your results.
• Some tables produced by American Factfinder are too wide to print correctly unless you change your printer settings from portrait to landscape.
• If saving to a disc or USB Flash Drive/USB Stick, always check when done to be certain that you have a readable file that contains the data you intended to save.
• If you prefer, you can copy and paste your census results into an e-mail message to yourself. Access your e-mail account (using a second window on the computer) and copy/paste the census information you have found into an email message addressed to yourself. (Pay attention here: if you attach the census page or use the quote function instead of using the copy/paste method, you may get a general page from the site instead of your customized results for a specific tract).

Updating the Census

In the years between decennial censuses, various organizations produce estimates of demographic changes in American communities. The most reliable update is the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, released via American Factfinder. The American Community Survey is conducted annually, but the geographies do not go as small as census tract or zip code. Examples of online sources which provide more current estimates at the census tract level are:

• FFIEC Census Reports (Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council) includes 2006 estimates of Tract Median Family Income.
• Demographic Research Unit Statistical Reports (City of Los Angeles Planning Department) includes, under Local Statistics, 2004 estimates at the census tract level for a small number of variables for census tracts within the City of Los Angeles.
• City of Los Angeles Housing Vacancy Data provides information on idle residential water/electrical meters as an indicator of housing vacancies.

Citing Your Sources

• Use Online Citation Style Guides or ask at the reference desk if you have any questions about how to cite your sources for your paper correctly following the rules for MLA and other frequently used styles.
• Information on how to cite tables from American Factfinder is available.

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Created and maintained by Mary M. Finley
Questions or comments: mary.finley@csun.edu
Links checked: 10 January 2008

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