Codes

This variable is not available for any of the currently selected samples.

Description

DISTCA reports the household's district, within Canada in 1852, 1881, and 1891Districts are contained within the provinces. The geographic size of districts varies significantly. For example, the Territories, Northwest Territories and Yukon are one district on their own, while other districts cover only portions of major cities. In many cases in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Québec and Ontario, the census districts were also known as counties.

Some other geography variables from 1852 to 1911 in Canada include, GEO1_CA1852_1911, DIVNOCA, and SDSTCA. DISTCA is harmonized by the names of the districts and does not take into consideration the changing district boundaries. DISTCA is not mappable.

Comparability — General

Canada 1852

The Census of 1852 includes Quebec and Ontario provinces. Data covering approximately one-third of the estimated total population and representing many urban centers, including Montreal and Toronto, are missing due to the loss of original manuscripts. Data from the city of Quebec, however, are included in the sample. Users should be cautious about the underrepresentation of urban areas in the 1852 sample.

Canada 1881

Users who aggregate the numbers of persons living in each district should be aware that district aggregations based on the census microdata will differ from district totals listed in the 1881 published census statistics, particularly for the Territories. This is because the 1881 census manuscript is missing many individuals for districts in Manitoba, the Territories and British Columbia.

The published 1881 census statistics indicate that the population of Manitoba was 65,954 persons, while our microdata include 64,845 Manitobans. Similarly, the published census statistics indicate that there were 49,459 and 56,446 residents of British Columbia and the territories respectively, while the 1881 microdata include 48,904 and 10,978 residents of British Columbia and the territories. In the case of the Territories, census officials often estimated the number of indigenous Canadians living in particular sub-districts, placing a tribal estimate on the census page rather than an individual enumeration. These tribal estimates obviously could not be rendered into microdata form.

Canada 1911

The Census of 1911 includes districts in Alberta, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and Yukon provinces. In various provinces, some districts that either merged with other districts or split into single-tier districts between 1891 and 1911 can be identified.

Universe

Availability

• Canada: 1852, 1881, 1891, 1911