Launching of White Center and Boulevard Park community information web site

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Today, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Seattle-King County Making Connections are joining Public Health - Seattle & King County and King County GIS Center to launch a community data web site for White Center and Boulevard Park.

The data web site provides easy access to neighborhood-level U.S. Census data on population and housing, including detailed maps and graphs on poverty, immigration, language spoken, education and housing, and many other neighborhood characteristics.

"This great service allows our community members to access online maps and other information with the click of a mouse," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "We're making important neighborhood information available and accessible to everybody."

"This tool allows data and numbers to come alive," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "Communities can benefit greatly by using these data for action and for programs that can make a difference."

"Whether designing a neighborhood grant program, planning for new services and programs, or evaluating the success of existing services, community organizations and policy makers need up-to-date information about their communities and the people who live there," said Nita Heimann, an epidemiologist at Public Health - Seattle & King County and lead on this project.

The new resource will serve community organizations, residents, government agencies, and news media concerned about families and neighborhoods in White Center and Boulevard Park. The web site is sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation as a project of the Seattle-King County Making Connections initiative. It was developed by Public Health - Seattle & King County and King County GIS Center.

"The goal of Making Connections is to improve the lives of vulnerable families and children by strengthening the communities they live in," said Theresa Fujiwara of Seattle-King County Making Connections. "To accomplish this goal, Making Connections creates community programs that foster economic opportunity, social networks and access to services and supports."

Currently, the White Center and Boulevard Park Community Data web site presents demographic and housing data from the 2000 U.S. Census as easy-to-read maps, charts and tables. The data are specific to the White Center and Boulevard Park communities, and are even available for smaller geographic areas within them. The web site will continue to be developed in response to the information needs of the community.

White Center and Boulevard Park are home to about 32,000 residents with a rich and diverse cultural heritage. Immigrants and refugees make up a significant and growing percentage of population.

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