Introduction

Census Places are geographic areas defined by the US Census Bureau that represent a concentration of population. They include both incorporated places (cities, towns, villages, etc., with legal boundaries) and census-designated places (CDPs) (unincorporated communities with a recognizable name, but no local government). The Census Bureau uses these designations to tabulate and present demographic data.

Incorporated places

• Definition: Legally bounded and self-governing municipalities like cities, towns, villages, and boroughs.
• Boundaries: Defined by the laws of the state in which they are located.
• Examples: A city with its own government, even if it is a small, recognized community.

Census-designated places (CDPs)

• Definition: Unincorporated communities that are locally recognized by name but do not have their own local government.
• Boundaries: Delineated by the Census Bureau for statistical purposes, often in collaboration with local officials.
• Purpose: Provide data for unincorporated areas,

Key differences

• Government: Incorporated places have a legal local government, while CDPs do not.
• Legal status: Incorporated places have a legal, official status as a city, town, etc., whereas CDPs are statistical entities defined by the Census Bureau.
• Boundaries: The boundaries of incorporated places are fixed by law, while the boundaries of CDPs can change from one census to the next to reflect changes in settlement patterns.

The map and table below give geographic data on the 594 Census Places in Alabama. Alabama's census places are classified as cities, towns, or CDPs. The land and water areas are given in square miles.

Map

In the map below, the census-designated central points can be added as a point layer using the layer control. Click on a feature to view summary information about the feature.

Tables

Census Places

Click on a row of the table to see the corresponding community highlighted in green in the map above (although for a small community, it may be hard to see the highlighting without zooming). Click on the row again to de-select.

Summary by Type