Data centers have been a staple of Loudoun County since the early dot-com boom, but recent expansions have left some residents wondering how much more the county can take. In this episode, guest host David Imel talks to Lauren Feiner about her recent article detailing the buildout of “Data Center Alley,” what it means for residents, and what other counties reeling with similar buildouts can learn from it. Further reading: Is this the future of America? Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. ...
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Is this episode right for you?
B2 · Upper-intermediate
Comfortable if you already follow TV news
- 81% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 180 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
- 103 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
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Welcome to the VergeCast, the flagship podcast of Data Center Reporting. I'm David Mel. Today, we're talking to Lauren Finer, who's been spending the last few months reporting on the rapidly developing data center build out in Loudoun County.
Lauren's just published a massive piece detailing the community response to the fast moving industry, which is especially notable in a county that's been home to data centers since the early dot com era. Today I want to talk to Lauren about what she's learned from her reporting and what
it might tell us about what we can expect in counties across the U.S. But first, here's what's happening on the Verge today. I'm Travis Larchak, and this is 90 Seconds on the Verge for Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026.
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