I’ve always wondered if the area I grew up in (Weston Creek) was particularly special when it comes to computers & the Internet. I know quite a few people that I went through school with who now work in the IT industry.

A paragraph in this article last month especially piqued my interest: Forget inner-city life: Weston Creek is the place to be

More than half of Weston Creek homes 55 per cent had broadband access, which put the suburb among the top 5 per cent of districts on a national basis.

Weston Creek was ranked the 16th most liveable community [in Australia], ahead of Tuggeranong (30th), Woden Valley (36th), Belconnen (44th), Gungahlin (45th), South Canberra (57th) and North Canberra (146th).

This all comes from the BankWest Quality of Life Index 2008 which has this to say about broadband internet access nationally:

Forty percent of households across Australia have a broadband internet connection with connection rates varying from 69% to 2%. There are 54 LGAs where at least 50% of households have a broadband internet connection. Twenty-two of these LGAs [local authority areas] are in Sydney.

69% of households in Ku-ring-gai in Sydney have a broadband internet connection, the highest proportion in Australia. This was followed by Peppermint Grove (67%) in Perth and Willoughby (65%) in Sydney.

How does that compare to the United States? The Leichtman Research Group, Inc.’s Q2 2008 research notes say:

57% of US households (at the time of the survey) subscribed to a broadband service – compared to 20% just four years ago