Help adding a CDP to OpenStreetMap

Does anyone know if the shapefile is something that can be downloaded from US Census Bureau? I’ve recently learned that my “hamlet” is indeed a CDP (Census-designated place) and can be found here: <link>

And

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?

It looks like there are a number of shapefiles (extension: .shp) that can be downloaded from the US Census Bureau: TIGER/Line® Shapefiles. You would need to check if what you need is included. Some states also make this data available (Example: MassGIS Data: Municipalities | Mass.gov) 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.

Good luck! :slightly_smiling_face:

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@8f7162110d9eeaf907ab Thank you for that insight! Going to dig in shortly.

I’m getting closer. I found this page: TIGER/Line Shapefiles

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

But all I get from that is info overload.

Maybe someone can make (better) sense of this.

Thank you in advance, Eric

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:

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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/

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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@zelonewolf Thanks for that tip!