The feds are in town and setting up shop across the street from the country club.

Behind a modern brick façade on Tourney Road, the U.S. Census has opened an office where residents of the area – including the Antelope Valley – will be counted for purposes of distributing tax dollars and seats in Congress.

Wednesday afternoon, a lineup of politicians, including the former and current mayors of Santa Clarita, spoke about the importance of the census before a wide red ribbon was slashed to open the new offices.

Geneaologist and Former Mayor Carl Boyer told a crowd of mostly government workers about his discovery of family history, using census records. Census Office Manager Dave Simon introduced Boyer by telling those gathered that a working witch was part of the Boyer lineage. Boyer reassured people that information was valuable, if not colorful, and encouraged everyone to participate in the counting.

Along with the task of enumerating the population, the bureau is also hiring nearly a thousand census takers to follow up on incomplete forms, go door-to-door and tabulate results in the high-security headquarters. Information on employment is available at www.2010censusjobs.gov, or by calling (866) 861-2010.