Evansville’s “Promise Zone” Gets Free Public Wifi Thanks to Indiana Grant

It is no understatement, and it is no secret that we all take technology for granted - especially when it comes to the internet. We have become a bit spoiled thanks to unlimited data plans and access to wifi just about everywhere we go. Adults use it every day for work, our kids use it every day for school, and we ALL use it every day for fun and wasting time. It's not until you lose your wifi that you realize just how dependent we are on it. We had an outage the other day that lasted just a couple of hours, but it seemed like days - I'm sure you know the feeling.

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Now imagine never having access to wifi at home. Imagine having to go to school or the library or some business just to use their wifi. That would really affect your productivity and your kid's schoolwork, wouldn't it? That is the reality for a lot of families in Evansville - but thanks to a new Community Development Block Grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, thousands of residents within Evansville's Promise Zone now have access to free wifi right near their homes.

What/Where is the Promise Zone?

According to Evansvillegov.org the Promise Zone "spans across Veteran’s Memorial Parkway and Waterworks Road (south and west) to Diamond Avenue (north) and Green River Road (east)." This area received a federal 10-year Promise Zone designation back in 2016 to provide support for Evansville's "most at-risk, yet most promising neighborhoods." Over 22,000 residents live in the Promise Zone, which makes up nearly 1/5 of Evansville's total population.

Where are these wifi zones?

Residents of the Promise Zone, and the rest of the public, can access the internet around the following five areas:

• The Dream Center, located at 1516 N. Main Street
• Memorial Baptist Church, located at 605 Canal Street
• Culver Family Learning Center, located at 1301 Judson Street
• Bread of Life Church, located at 1700 Pollack Avenue
• Young and Established, located at 1308 Vann Avenue

You don't need a password to use the wifi, just get near these areas with your device(s) and take advantage of the free access to the internet.