The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-05-13

wv Gtical significance, scientific discov-
cry or other happening which for a
brief moment throws the limelight on
some little municipality. The reason was that
the United States bureau Of the census having
completed the compilation of certain statistics
obtained by the 1880 census, announced that
the center Of population of the United States
is near Linton, Ind.
As matter Of fact, this center is located at
point in Stockton township, Greene county,
Ind, which is % miles northeast Of Linton, 81
miles southeast by south Of Terre Haute and
1876 miles northeast by north of vincennes. But
since it is nearest Linton, that town received
whatever distinction there accrues to being
known as "the center of population" and it be-
came the successor to another Indiana town,
Whitehall, ia holding that honor. For after
the census Of 1920 the center of population
designated a point 10 miles west of White
hall in Owen county and in the ten years from
1920 to 1890 it moved westward 22.3 miles to
the point Linton.
Now what is this center Of population and
how is it computed? Probably most of US have
rather vague ideas about that and the chances
are that such ideas are erroneous as well. For
the thing have in mind when we say center
of population is probably what the census
perts call the median point.
If you draw a line dividing the population
of the United States into equal parts north and
south, and another line dividing it equally east
and west, then the point of intersection is the
median point. In every one Of the four quar-
tiers there will be the same number Of people.
But the center of population, as used by the
census bureau, is that point that may be con-
sdered the center of human gravity Of the
United States. The census bureau pictures the
United States rigid level plane and on it
our 123,000OO0-odd people each one weighing the
same, irrespective Of age, sex and other dis
tinctions.
Then the center of population would be the
point at which the plane must pivot in order TO
balance perfectly. Literally then the center
might be described as the decennial pivot of the
American population playing seesaw.
So much for the description of the population
center; now for the mathematical legerdemain
by which II is established. In making the COM
putations for the location of the center of pepu-
lation it Is necessary to assume that the
ter is at certain point. Through this point
parallel and meridian drawn, crossing the
entire country
In making the computations for 1920, for ex-.
ample, the same point was selected as in 1910;
this intersection was assumed to be where the
parallel of 80 degrees north latitude intersects
the meridian of Sc degrees west longitude, which
lines were taken the of movements.
The product of the population of given area
by its distance from the assumed parallel is
called north south moment, and the product
Il
from the assumed meridian is called east
west moment
In calculating north and south moments the
distances measured in minutes of arc; in
calculating east and west moments it is neces-
sary to use miles on account Of the unequal
length of the degrees and minutes in different
latitudes.
The population Of the country is grouped by
square degrees-that is. by areas included be-
tween consecutive parallels and merdians-as
they are convenient units with which to work.
The population of the principal cities is then de-
Quoted from that Of the respective square de-
grees in which they lie and treated separately.
The center of population of each square de-
gree is assumed TO be at its geographical center
except where such an assumption is manifestly
| Incorrect; in these cases the position Of the
center OF population of the square degree Is
estimated as nearly as possible.
The population Of each square degree north
and south Of the assumed parallel is multiplied
by the distance of its center from that parallel;
a similar calculation is made for the principal
cities; and the sum Of the north moments and
the sum Of the south moments are ascertained-
The difference between these two sums, divided
by the total population of the country, gives
correction TO the latitude. In a similar manner
the sums Of the east and of the west moments
are ascertained and from them the correction
in longitude is made
The westward advance of the center Of popu-