Hobokenites: You Count!

There is still time to send in your census forms. And if you happen to forget, the City of Hoboken, together with the U.S. Census, will remind you this afternoon. 

The city is kicking off its U.S. Census awareness campaign at 5 p.m. at the PATH station and at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. 

Officials from the U.S. Census Bureau will be there to show Hobokenites the importance of being counted, as well as to give out free goodies, according to City spokesman Paul Drexel. 

You may also have noticed the posters around town with a photo of raised hands (fun fact: one of those hands is Mayor Dawn Zimmer's). Those posters are part of the "Help Make Hoboken Count" campaign, which the city started last month.

Zimmer responded by emphasizing the importance of the census when it comes to federal grants. 

"There are millions of dollars of additional federal aid available to help us reduce taxes if everyone is counted,"  Zimmer said (this will come in handy, especially since the newly approved 2010 budget provided little tax relief).

Depending on how many people end up being counted in Hoboken, Census data will help the City secure funds for community planning pursuits, including road improvements, school aid and support for the Hoboken University Medical Center, according to a release the city sent out last week. 

As of April 1, New Jersey's participation rate was below the national average. Hoboken's participation rate was 42 percent, while the national participation rate was 52 percent. 

"If Hoboken is undercounted," Zimmer said in a press release, "we could lose out on critical funding to improve our streets, schools, hospitals, and more." She urged all Hoboken residents to send back their census forms as soon as possible. 

More than $300 billion in federal funds is awarded to states and communities based on census data annually. 

So fill out that form—according to the city it only takes a few minutes to complete—grab some goodies by the PATH station and be counted as a Hoboken resident. 

According to the last census, which was performed in 2000, Hoboken had roughly 30,000 residents. It's expected that the city will have roughly 50,000 people after the 2010 census.