| Though Washington is not one of the most | | | | who have cell phones is getting younger and |
| populous states, and there is quite a bit of rural | | | | younger. Only recently, cell phones designed |
| space within its borders, it has a surprisingly high | | | | specifically for children have been released, |
| rate of cell phone service subscriptions. For | | | | meaning that cell phone subscribers are no longer |
| example, in the year 2000, Washington boasted | | | | limited to people who have reached the age of |
| 2,144,767 cellular phone subscribers; a number | | | | majority, nor even to teens. Essentially, there is a |
| well within the average for even more populous | | | | cellular phone and a cellular phone service for |
| states. That number grew quite quickly, reaching | | | | every person at every age. |
| 4,418,314 by the year 2006 - over twice as | | | | However, with all of these cellular phones and |
| many subscribers within only six years. | | | | their associated cell phone numbers, Washington |
| Furthermore, it should be considered that the | | | | has yet to create a state-wide database of |
| population of the state of Washington in the year | | | | cellular phone numbers. This presents a problem |
| 2000 was 5,894,121, meaning that approximately | | | | to the many people who wish to make phone |
| 36 percent of the people of the state were cell | | | | searches and reverse phone searches for their |
| phone subscribers. By 2006, when the population | | | | friends and family so that they can be reached |
| was 6,395,798, that percentage had grown | | | | over their cell phones. |
| substantially, to about 69 percent of Washington's | | | | It also creates a mystery when a cell phone |
| people. When the population grew only 8.5 | | | | number is listed among those in a Caller ID listing, |
| percent, the number of cellular phone subscribers | | | | and the number cannot be identified by traditional |
| rose by almost 49 percent! | | | | means because it is a cellular phone number. |
| This is indicative of the tremendous impact that | | | | Fortunately, there are sites such as reverse |
| cell phone technology is having on today's society. | | | | phone number company, which are specifically |
| It is becoming quite rare for anyone not to have | | | | designed for cell phone number searches. |
| a cellular phone. Furthermore, the age of people | | | | |