What it looks like when a data center rises in your backyard

TECH

What it looks like to live next to a sprawling data center<br>Aug. 19, 2026, 1:50 p.m. ET<br>A drone view shows The Markley Group data center in a residential neighborhood in Lowell, Mass., July 28, 2026.<br>Data centers are emerging as a flashpoint in communities nationwide. Critics pushing back say the centers strain water and electricity resources and disrupt neighborhoods.<br>Brian Snyder, REUTERS<br>In an aerial view, the IAD71 Amazon Web Services data center is shown on July 17, 2024 in Ashburn, Va.<br>Deemed the "data center capital of the world," Virginia is home to the most data centers in the United States, with more than 600 in operation, according to Data Center Map.<br>Nathan Howard, Getty ImagesAn aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center with closed-loop cooling system on April 14, 2026 in Vernon, Calif.<br>As of Aug. 19, there were more than 4,700 data centers across the United States, according to the global data center directory Data Center Map.<br>Mario Tama, Getty Images<br>An Amazon Web Services AI data center in New Carlisle, Ind., Oct. 3, 2025. As of Aug. 19, 2026 there were more than 4,700 data centers across the United States, according to the global data center directory Data Center Map.<br>Noah Berger, REUTERSAn aerial view shows cars passing a data center under construction in Ashburn, Va. on Nov. 12, 2025.<br>ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS, AFP Via Getty Images<br>A general view of the Google Midlothian Data Center on Nov. 14, 2025 in Midlothian, Texas. Google announced that it plans to invest $40 billion dollars in three new Texas data centers through 2027.<br>Ron Jenkins, Getty ImagesA vehicle passes near a 49.5 megawatt three-level data center under construction on April 14, 2026 in Vernon, Calif.<br>Mario Tama, Getty Images<br>Community members packed into city council chambers to attend a hearing about the approval of a new data center on May 14, 2026 in Pocatello, Idaho. Lex Developments LLC has submitted an application to convert an abandoned industrial center into a $2.6 billion data center. Concerned citizens attended the public hearing, mostly to voice opposition to the construction of the center.<br>Natalie Behring, Getty ImagesDemonstrators take part in a protest at the Utah State Capitol to oppose the construction of the Stratos data center in Box Elder County on May 23, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The proposed data center would be about 40,000 acres and is speculated to use 9 gigawatts of power.<br>Natalie Behring, Getty Images<br>An aerial view of a 49.5 megawatt three-level data center under construction on July 8, 2026 in Vernon, Calif.<br>Mario Tama, Getty ImagesDemonstrators wave signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion in Imperial, Calif. on July 18, 2026.<br>SANDY HUFFAKER, AFP Via Getty Images<br>People hold up signs on a pedestrian bridge during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion in Berkeley, Calif. on July 18, 2026.<br>JOSH EDELSON, AFP Via Getty ImagesDemonstrators participate in a nationwide protest against data centers, in Fredericksburg, Va., July 18, 2026.<br>Evelyn Hockstein, REUTERS<br>People hold signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Fla. on July 18, 2026.<br>THOMAS SIMONETTI, AFP Via Getty ImagesA drone view shows The Markley Group data center amid a group of homes in Lowell, Mass., July 28, 2026.<br>Brian Snyder, REUTERS<br>This aerial view shows an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center adjacent to single-family homes in Stone Ridge, Va. on Aug. 12, 2026. Hastily built to meet skyrocketing demand for computing power required by the global artificial intelligence race, data centers are facing opposition across the United States.<br>BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP Via Getty ImagesThis aerial view shows single-family homes adjacent to a lot being cleared to build a new data center in Stone Ridge, Va. on Aug. 12, 2026.<br>BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP Via Getty Images

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