# Help adding a CDP to OpenStreetMap
**URL:** https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [January 11, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163 "2022-01-11T16:29:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ericjrw](https://community.citystrides.com/u/ericjrw)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163/1 "2022-01-11T16:29:34Z")
Does anyone know if the shapefile is something that can be downloaded from [US Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/)? I’ve recently learned that my “hamlet” is indeed a CDP (Census-designated place) and can be found here: \<[link](https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US4853212)\>
And
> [@Adding a City to OpenStreetMap](https://community.citystrides.com/t/adding-a-city-to-openstreetmap/21433/1):
>
> But there’s also boundary=census,
So, thanks to @zelonewolf’s great post, I’m thinking maybe I might start seeing some progress in OTS… If I can find that shapefile.
Thanks in advance, Eric
Edit: Curious, what type of file extension(s) does (do) shapefiles have?
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### Author:  [@8f7162110d9eeaf907ab](https://community.citystrides.com/u/8f7162110d9eeaf907ab)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163/2 "2022-01-25T21:37:54Z")
It looks like there are a number of shapefiles (extension: .shp) that can be downloaded from the US Census Bureau: [TIGER/Line® Shapefiles](https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/geo/shapefiles/index.php). You would need to check if what you need is included. Some states also make this data available (Example: [MassGIS Data: Municipalities | Mass.gov](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-municipalities)) so if you don’t find what you need from the Census Bureau it might be worth checking what your state offers.
There’s a great post from @zbrown4 which also goes into some detail on how to create boundaries in OSM [here](https://community.citystrides.com/t/question-about-plea-for-help-with-unincorporated-area/24244/4).
Good luck! 🙂
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### Author:  [@ericjrw](https://community.citystrides.com/u/ericjrw)
#### Post date: [January 26, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163/3 "2022-01-26T18:25:41Z")
@8f7162110d9eeaf907ab Thank you for that insight! Going to dig in shortly.
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### Author:  [@ericjrw](https://community.citystrides.com/u/ericjrw)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163/4 "2022-02-03T22:16:31Z")
I’m getting closer. I found this page: [TIGER/Line Shapefiles](https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/tiger-line-file.html)
It has info on shapefiles, but I cannot figure out how to _find_ the shp file.
It has a rather cryptic interface (WEB or FTP), but I can’t figure out what my query should be. It’s not for lack of trying…
I even tried to make sense of the documentation: [TIGER/Line Shapefiles and TIGER/Line Files Technical Documentation](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/technical-documentation/complete-technical-documentation/tiger-geo-line.html)
But all I get from that is info overload.
Maybe someone can make (better) sense of this.
Thank you in advance, Eric
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### Author:  [@ericjrw](https://community.citystrides.com/u/ericjrw)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2022, 4:02pm UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163/5 "2022-10-07T16:02:33Z")
So now that I have gotten better at OSM, my plan, when the weather turns colder and I stay in more, is to add the boundary myself. I know this area well, and understand where the lines should go.
PS: Meant to reference this thread with very pertinent information:
> [@Someone deleted a number of cities in New Mexico](https://community.citystrides.com/t/someone-deleted-a-number-of-cities-in-new-mexico/25419):
>
> The CityStrides links for these now missing places are (there may be more, these are just the cities that had recent update attempts): [Agua Fria, New Mexico - CityStrides](https://citystrides.com/cities/6284)[Tesuque, New Mexico - CityStrides](https://citystrides.com/cities/6293)[La Cienega, New Mexico - CityStrides](https://citystrides.com/cities/7236) Each city has a menu to the right of the city name, which contains a link to OpenStreetMap. Those pages each link out to the changeset that removed the city from OSM. I’m wondering if these edits look legit. There’s no other city for me to fall back on, …
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### Author:  [@zelonewolf](https://community.citystrides.com/u/zelonewolf)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2022, 11:51pm UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163/6 "2022-10-10T23:51:44Z")
If you are thinking about importing, especially boundaries, you really need to log on to OpenStreetMap’s slack server and chat with the folks that are local (channel #your-state-name or #imports would be a great start).
[https://slack.openstreetmap.us/](https://slack.openstreetmap.us/)
Boundaries are notoriously difficult to deal with because of the shared segments, and absolutely must be done in JOSM in my experience.
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### Author:  [@ericjrw](https://community.citystrides.com/u/ericjrw)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/help-adding-a-cdp-to-openstreetmap/24163/7 "2022-10-11T20:48:42Z")
@zelonewolf Thanks for that tip!