Historian Bruce Haulman will discuss the history censuses, what the census data on Vashon tells us about the island, and looks at what the 2020 census may tell us about how the island has changed since the 2010 census.
The U.S. Census was originally an effort every 10-years to enumerate the number of people in the country to apportion seats in the House of Representatives. Since the first US Census in 1790, census data has been used for all types of other purposes, although the basic apportionment of Representatives is still an important part of the census.
Bruce Haulman is an island historian, the author of two books about Vashon's history, and a long time resident of Ellisport.
