Ranked #10 in 2006 for Populations of 250,000 or Greater

Riverside, Calif. (January 15, 2007) - The City of Riverside, Calif., a city fast-becoming a leader in the digital age and technology deployment, was recently named one of America's Most Digital Cities for 2006.

Based on its 2006 Digital Cities Survey, the Center for Digital Government ranked the City of Riverside #10 in populations of 250,000 or greater. The study examines how city governments utilize digital technologies to better serve their citizens and streamline operations.

"As a government municipality, we are continually raising the bar and expanding our technology prowess to better serve our residents," said Steve Reneker, Chief Information Officer, City of Riverside. "We've made some amazing strides over the past year - in particular with our wireless Internet network." "We can't help be inspired by this recognition and impressed that others have noticed our progressive growth as a technology leader."

The Digital Cities Survey, open to all U.S. cities with populations of 30,000 or more, is an annual program presented by the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government.

The City of Riverside plans to launch Phase I of a three-phase rollout in early February 2007 when it will blanket its entire 86 square miles with free wireless Internet network. The robust network, built by AT&T, is also the largest planned to date for public use by residents (2.4 GHz) and businesses as well as for City municipal use and public-safety communications (4.9 GHz).

Riverside officials hope that the high-speed Internet along with other high-tech innovations planned for the future will help the City attract more technology and biotech companies - and the young, upwardly mobile employees they bring.

The City of Riverside plans to potentially use its new WI-FI network for a variety of uses including public safety mobile data and video; managing traffic and parking systems; security monitoring; remote access to lighting controls; automated tracking of city vehicles; as well as code enforcement and building inspections.

For more information on the City of Riverside's multi-layered wireless access network, contact Greg Lee, Business Development Coordinator, City of Riverside, at 951-826-5145.
About Riverside

Recognized as one of America's top five "Hottest Large Cities (1)," Riverside is a diverse, urban center situated in the heart of Southern California. Riverside is the largest city in the Inland Empire, one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States, and the 12th largest city in the state. It also has a population of nearly 300,000 and is the county seat for the fastest-growing county in California.

Its many resources include the world famous Mission Inn Hotel, a city-wide wireless Internet network initiative and four institutions of higher learning, with a student population of more than 40,000. The largest, the University of California-Riverside, is the fastest growing campus in the UC system and its well-endowed research program has significant potential to benefit Riverside's high-tech economy in the years ahead. In 2005, Riverside had a job base of over 160,000 people and was recently ranked sixth for job growth (2).

(1) Inc. Magazine, May 2006
(2) Forbes 2006

Rick Christopher - Senior Account Strategist/Media Relations Specialist, Amies Communications

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Posted at http://www.inlandempire.us/news/2007/01/city-of-riverside-recongized-as-one-of.html