Homeowners on a once-peaceful Virginia cul-de-sac are speaking out about persistent noise from newly built data centers.
Residents of Statesboro Place in Loudoun County endured months of construction disruption as the campus of windowless buildings took shape, including explosions, heavy machinery and red dust settling over the neighborhood.
With the data center towers now complete, residents of the formerly quiet dead-end street say they are still dealing with relentless noise from facilities supporting America’s artificial intelligence boom, Fox News reported.
The buildings bordering the neighborhood are operated by Amazon and Microsoft.
One resident told Fox News: ‘It’s like 150 feet away and just constant noise.
‘So far, they’ve planted some trees, thinking that would solve the issue.’
The residents who spoke to Fox News requested anonymity because they are involved in discussions with their Homeowners Association (HOA) and county officials.
A Microsoft spokesperson told Fox News that the company is ‘actively meeting with nearby HOAs to address community priorities, including landscaping, lighting and noise, working to ensure that our development lives up to residents’ expectations.’
Technology giants have been outbidding homebuilders for land across the US to develop data centers. A Microsoft facility in Virginia, near a cul-de-sac, is pictured
Northern Virginia has become the world’s data center capital, thanks to its flat land, power infrastructure and extensive fiber-optic network
Data center developers are offering far more for land than homebuilders can afford
An Amazon spokesperson said the company has ‘been part of Loudoun for 20 years’ and is working with a local team, residents and the HOA to find solutions.
‘We’re committed to building responsibly and being good neighbors,’ the spokesperson told Fox News.
Another resident said the hum is audible well beyond the backyard, disrupting the tranquil atmosphere along nearby walking trails.
‘Only two data centers are active right now and two additional ones are planned to be active next spring,’ the resident added.
Loudoun County is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers and one of the most densely developed AI infrastructure hubs in the US.
More than 230 data centers have been built across the county in the past six months, Fox News reported. A further 116 are still planned.
Northern Virginia has emerged as the world’s data center capital because of its flat terrain, established power infrastructure and dense network of fiber-optic cables installed during the dot-com boom.
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These are among the buildings forming Virginia’s ‘Data Centre Alley’ in Loudoun County
Prince William County, Virginia, is another major hub for data center construction
Another resident told Fox News: ‘When I moved in, it was an open field. I had a nice backyard and there was not an ugly building to look at.
‘Are we the guinea pigs? It feels that way,’ the resident asked.
The data centers that transformed the landscape have also reshaped the area’s economy.
County officials say data centers generated $1.2 billion in tax revenue in fiscal year 2026 – 39 percent of the county budget. That figure is projected to rise to $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2027.
The revenue is supposed to fund county services and keep tax rates lower. However, residents have complained their individual bills keep rising.
One Loudoun County homeowner shared property tax records with Fox News and demonstrated that the annual real estate tax bill rose from $17,391 in 2021 to about $22,250 in 2026.
This suburban region of Northern Virginia is known as Data Center Alley
AI data centers are becoming so vast that the length of the largest is measured in miles
‘In our experience, our taxes have not gone down. We also own multiple properties and vehicles in Loudoun County, and we have not experienced a reduction in our real estate or personal property tax burden,’ the homeowner said.
Little River District Supervisor Laura TeKrony said Loudoun County should limit data center development to industrial areas.
‘I have not voted for one data center application since my term started in 2024,’ TeKrony told Fox News.
‘There are some things that matter more than additional tax revenue: our land, our water, our quality of life and our community character.’
Residents also told Fox News they are doubtful the data centers will go away.
Instead, they are pushing county leaders to build sound barriers to reduce the ongoing noise.
‘Trees are not a solution,’ one resident said.
Other neighbors proposed tax cuts for the community.