Feb. 16, 2006
 
College Towns Are Popular WI-FI Hotspots, Survey Shows
 
By HNN Staff
 
Sunnyvale, CA (HNN) – The abundance of free WI-FI hotspots in college towns suggests that the younger generation simply will not pay for WI-FI Internet access, according to MetroFreeFi.com, a Sunnyvale (Silicon Valley) based company. A free Wi-Fi hot spot is a public location that provides locals and visitors wireless Internet at no cost.
 
The wireless hot spot data was gathered from MetroFreeFi.com's global database, which includes more than 10,000 free wireless hot spots and is a collaborative effort by free Wi-Fi users. MetroFreeFi.com ranked cities by the number of free Wi-Fi hot spots within city limits, taking population density into account. The list below omits Morgantown, WV, home of West Virginia University, which MetroFreeFi.com says has seven hotspots with a population of about 27,000 in the city limits. The list also omits Huntington, WV, home of Marshall University, which the company says has four WI-FI hotspots. Both Huntington and Morgantown are listed in a story posted on HNN and BNN.
 
According to the company, “Businesses can appeal to students by providing free wireless Internet access. Paid wi-fi providers such as T-Mobile Hotspot are not meeting consumer expectations.”
 
1) Boulder, CO (34 hotspots with a population of 94,673)
2) Lawrence, KS (24 hotspots with a population of 80,098)
3) Bozeman, MT (22 hotspots with a population of 27,509)
4) Moscow, ID (13 hotspots with a population of 21,291)
5) Charlottesville, VA (13 hotspots with a population of 45,049)
6) Corvallis, OR (12 hotspots with a population of 49,322)
7) Iowa City, IA (11 hotspots with a population of 62,220)
8) Appleton, WI (11 hotspots with a population of 70,087)
9) Ames, IA (9 hotspots with a population of 50,731)
10) Durango, CO (8 hotspots with a population of 13,922)
11) Burlington, VT (8 hotspots with a population of 38,889)
12) East Lansing, MI (8 hotspots with a population of 46,525)
13) Bloomington, IN (8 hotspots with a population of 69,291)
14) Athens, OH (7 hotspots with a population of 21342)
15) College Station, TX (7 hotspots with a population of 67,890)
16) Gainesville, FL (7 hotspots with a population of 95,447)
17) Arcata, CA (6 hotspots with a population of 16,651)
18) Pullman, WA (6 hotspots with a population of 24,675)
19) Blacksburg, VA (6 hotspots with a population of 39,573)
20) Ashland, OR (5 hotspots with a population of 19,522)
21) State College, PA (5 hotspots with a population of 38,420)
22) Bowling Green, KY (5 hotspots with a population of 49,296)
23) Davis, CA (5 hotspots with a population of 60,308)
24) Princeton, NJ (4 hotspots with a population of 14,203)
25) College Park, MD (4 hotspots with a population of 24,657)

 
Source: MetroFreeFi.com