Commentary
Rainy Day Entertainment
- by April 17, 2001
According to a new study by Nielsen NetRatings, the most wired cities are located in the Pacific Northwest: Portland and Seattle top the list.
The March, 2001 study compared penetration and growth of At-Home Users to March of last year. Philadelphia showed the biggest increase with an average of 49 percent more people logging on this year. Other market areas measured include:
| Region | Penetration March '01 | Penetration March '00 | Avg. Growth |
| Portland | 69.7% | 54.0 | 29% |
| Seattle | 69.6 | 55.9 | 25 |
| San Francisco | 69.1 | 61.0 | 13 |
| Boston | 68.4 | 51.7 | 32 |
| San Diego | 66.2 | 58.0 | 14 |
| Washington DC | 65.2 | 56.1 | 16 |
| Denver | 63.2 | 47.3 | 34 |
| Orlando | 61.4 | NA | NA |
| Hartford/New Haven, | 61.4 | NA | NA |
| Kansas City | 61.2 | NA | NA |
"Access to the Internet has become a need rather than a luxury for the mainstream population in the U.S.," said Allen Weiner, vice president of analytical services, NetRatings. "Applications such as e-mail and (e-)commerce have become part of our daily routine as the Web has touched our personal and professional lives. All top 25 Internet local markets show penetration in excess of 50 %, signaling critical mass for most major regions in the United States."
Source: Nielsen NetRatings
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