We Mapped Rural Data Center Development – and Opposition
6 hours ago
- #data-centers
- #infrastructure
- #rural-communities
- Northern Virginia's Data Center Alley, with the most data centers globally, is expanding into rural areas due to AI-driven growth.
- Rural counties host about 6% of operating data centers, with 12% of new projects in these areas, facing challenges like smaller tax bases and limited resources.
- Analyses vary: Pew Research reports over 1,500 new data centers planned, with 67% in rural areas, using a broader definition than the Daily Yonder.
- Power imbalances in negotiations, like in Port Washington, Wisconsin, where a $15 billion data center could double local taxes, highlight rural vulnerabilities.
- Data centers are often built near high-voltage transmission lines (345kV and above), with rural facilities median distance about four miles from such infrastructure.
- Resistance groups, numbering around 129 in rural counties, are growing bipartisan opposition, with polls showing 70% of Americans oppose local AI data centers.