Residents Are Surrounded in World’s Data Center Capital (2)

When Bala Thumma moved into the Briarfield Estates in 2013, he was excited for its prospects. The new development in rural Northern Virginia was surrounded by seemingly endless farmland, and he was told it would eventually flourish into a vibrant residential community.

Loudoun County, where Briarfield is located, was one of the fastest-growing counties in the US at the time. Its economy was thriving on the expansion of the internet thanks to an abundance of cheap, flat land close to Washington, DC. Generous tax breaks helped propel Loudoun as a top destination for tech firms looking to build data storage and processing ...