The capital of the internet

Loudoun County, Virginia is notable for a few things. It’s the richest county in America by median household income, significantly richer than runners-up in Silicon Valley; it houses Dulles Airport and is thus the exurban area DC residents find ourselves schlepping to most often. But its most important role is as the capital of the internet. Due to proximity to the Defense Department, northern Virginia has long been home to a disproportionate share of the ARPAnet and then internet’s core infrastructure, and it still houses 13 percent of the world’s data centers today, with Loudoun and the town of Ashburn specifically at the epicenter. Judge Glock of the Manhattan Institute has an excellent piece explaining what this has meant for Loudoun as a county. In the 2027 budget, the county projects that it will get a whopping 45 percent of its revenue from data centers. For residents, that has meant lower property tax rates, lots of investment in schools and roads, and general, well, abundance. Data centers are not generally popular with voters, but they’re definitely good for Loudoun County.