A humming annoyance or jobs boom? Life next to 199 data centres

October 26, 2025

Loudoun County, Virginia, known as "Data Center Alley," hosts 199 data centers occupying 3% of the county's land area and contributing 40% to its budget. The county recently made headlines when an Amazon outage disrupted global services, highlighting the region's critical role in internet infrastructure and AI development. While these facilities bring significant economic benefits, including 74,000 jobs and $5.

Who is affected

Loudoun County residents living near data centers
Wildlife and natural environment in the area
Local homeowners like Emily Kasabian and Greg Pirio
Consumers of internet services globally (affected by outages)
Electricity consumers facing rising costs (up to 267% increases near data centers)
Virginia's economy and workforce

What action is being taken

More data center facilities are currently being constructed in Loudoun County
Residents are lobbying state and local legislatures to delay or pause projects
The Data Center Coalition is working to communicate benefits and address concerns
Corporations like Amazon and Google are continuing to build facilities in the area

Why it matters

Data centers are essential infrastructure for internet connectivity and AI development
They contribute significantly to the local economy ($5.5 billion in labor income, 74,000 jobs)
They account for 40% of Loudoun County's budget
They impact residents' quality of life through noise pollution and environmental changes
Rising electricity costs affect local consumers (up to 267% increase)
The centers represent America's competitive position in global technology leadership
The rapid expansion raises questions about balancing economic benefits with quality of life

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC