Data centers’ neighbors weigh in on how to manage them

Northern Virginia is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers, which are facilities that store, process, and manage digital information for businesses and organizations.

In 2025, a survey of 1,004 residents in northern Virginia and the Richmond area—two of the state’s largest data center clusters—revealed that locals support stricter regulations to make these facilities more transparent and accountable.

Public concerns have grown nationwide about data centers’ high electricity demand and their environmental and community impacts.

In northern Virginia, organized opposition has led to legal challenges and project withdrawals, such as the cancellation of a 2,100-acre data center campus proposal in Prince William County in July 2026.

This opposition influenced a subsequent decision to reject another 2,000-acre rezoning proposal for additional data centers in the same county.