Census 2000 TIGER/Line(R) Files Technical Documentation Introduction TIGER/Line(R), TIGER(R), and Census TIGER(R) are a registered trademarks of the U.S. Census Bureau; ZCTA(TM) is a trademark of the U.S. Census Bureau. As such, these names cannot be used as or within the proprietary product names of any commercial product including or otherwise relevant to U.S. Census Bureau data, and may only be used to refer to the nature of such product. The U.S. Census Bureau requests that any repackaging of the TIGER/Line data (and documentation) and other files accompanying it for distribution include a conspicuously-placed statement to this effect on the product's cover, the first page of the website, or elsewhere of comparable visibility. Further, U.S. Census Bureau trademarks, when used in reference to the nature of the product, should be accompanied by the registered symbol or trademark symbol, where convenient. The TIGER/Line files are extracts, from the Census TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) data base, of selected geographic and cartographic information. They include files for all counties and statistically equivalent entities in the United States as well as files for Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The Census 2000 TIGER/Line files are released by county or statistically equivalent entity based on the January 1, 2000 governmental unit boundaries. The vintage of each version of the TIGER/Line files is reflected in the name of the TIGER/Line file and not the version code. The year noted in the version of the TIGER/Line files normally represents the vintage of the boundaries in the file while the version code reflects the data base extraction date for the TIGER/Line files. The TIGER/Line files contain data only and do not include display or mapping software. The TIGER/Line files are typically used in conjunction with geographic information system, or similar, software. The U.S. Census Bureau first released the TIGER/Line files in 1988. Since that time, it has released several versions of the files, with each successive version being improved through increased editing and updating of address ranges and features. A brief discussion of the changes that occurred in the 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line files, and the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files are summarized below. Changes to the Census 2000 TIGER/Line File Census 2000 TIGER/Line Files The major difference between the Census 2000 and Redistricting Census 2000 versions of the TIGER/Line files is that the Census 2000 version of the TIGER/Line files include ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and the address ranges appearing in the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files are based upon the addresses in the final Master Address File (MAF) used for tabulating Census 2000. The Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line files did not include any information on ZCTAs and the address ranges, were based upon an earlier version of the Master Address File. The Census 2000 version of the TIGER/Line files contain all Census 2000 geographic entities except urban areas (2000) and Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) (2000), which have not yet been delineated. The congressional district codes appearing in the Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line files were improperly extracted from the internal Census TIGER data base and contained errors. The extraction problem was corrected for the production of the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files and the 106th Congressional District codes appearing in Record Types A and S of the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files are correct. The Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line files did not contain any Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) codes. The Census 2000 TIGER/Line files contain the PUMA codes from the 1990 1% sample. The PUMA boundaries and codes appearing in the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files have not been reviewed or verified for accuracy and may not represent exactly the 1990 PUMAs. For this reason the U.S. Census Bureau recommends that data users do not use the 1990 PUMA boundaries and codes. The PUMAs contained in the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files are for programmatic purposes only. The U.S. Census Bureau discovered a topological error in the Maricopa County, Arizona Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line file. Two polygons had the same CENID-POLYID identifier. This error has been corrected for the Census 2000 TIGER/Line file. As a result, there is an additional polygon in the Maricopa County, Arizona Census 2000 TIGER/Line file and one line segment has a different TIGER/Line Identification Number (TLID). The names of some geographic entities, including voting districts and school districts, or attributes such as Place Description Codes (PLACEDC) and Legal/Statistical Area Description Codes (LSADC) were incorrect in the Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line files. The U.S. Census Bureau has corrected some names and attributes and these corrections appear in the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files. For information about the changes in geographic entity names and attributes refer to the document Changes Between the Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line files and the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files appearing on the U. S. Census Bureau's TIGER Internet site at URL: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger. Users also should refer to the Errata and User Notes for the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files appearing on the U. S. Census Bureau's TIGER Internet page for information about incorrect geographic entity boundaries and for situations identified after the creation of the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files. The U.S. Census Bureau has not added or deleted any record types between the Redistricting Census 2000 and Census 2000 versions of the TIGER/Line files or changed any field definitions. How to Use This Documentation The structure of this documentation is based on data content rather than record type content. For instance, information on addresses may appear in one section, but cross-references to other related sections also are included. In order to make the document easier to use as a reference, the text contains some repetition from section to section. Chapter 1 Chapter 1 describes the basic concepts about the Census TIGER data base and the TIGER/Line products. It discusses the topology in the Census TIGER data base, the terminology used to describe the geographic data, and the record types that make up the TIGER/Line files. Chapter 1 also describes the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) nomenclature for geographic objects. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 discusses the principle identification numbers forming the basis for record linkage discussed throughout the documentation. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 discusses the attributes for the line, polygon, and landmark geographic objects. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 defines the types of geographic entities and entity codes that appear in the TIGER/Line files. It also identifies the fundamental relationships among the different types of geographic entities. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 summarizes the data quality aspects of the information in the Census TIGER data base using the SDTS quality modules. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 lists the contents of the TIGER/Line file record types and provides a detailed description of the data fields in each. Use Chapter 6 in conjunction with Chapters 3 and 4 to locate the positions of specific data fields in the TIGER/Line files. How to Obtain Other Products and Information If you purchased or downloaded the TIGER/Line files directly from the U.S. Census Bureau and need further information concerning the subject matter of the Census 2000 TIGER/Line files, contact the Products and Services Staff, Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC 20233-7400. The telephone number is (301) 457-1128. The e-mail address is tiger@census.gov. For information concerning the subject matter and contents of TIGER/Line files obtained from a source other than the U.S. Census Bureau, contact that source.