1

Pro: More local tax revenue

Data centers generate unusually large property-tax bills because they house millions of dollars' worth of servers and specialized equipment. That often makes them among the largest taxpayers in a county .

In Northern Virginia, tax revenue from data centers helps fund schools, roads, parks, libraries, and emergency services. Some counties report receiving far more in taxes than they spend on providing public services to these facilities.

2

Con: Constant noise

Cooling equipment, ventilation systems, and electrical infrastructure operate continuously to keep thousands of servers from overheating. Together, they can produce a steady mechanical hum day and night.

Residents living closest to certain facilities have complained that low-frequency noise is noticeable even indoors , especially during quiet nighttime hours when background noise is minimal.

3

Pro: Better infrastructure investment

Building a major data center often requires improvements to nearby infrastructure. Utilities may expand electrical capacity, while roads, substations, and water systems are upgraded before the facility opens .

Although these improvements primarily support the project itself, neighboring communities frequently benefit from stronger infrastructure that might otherwise have taken many years to receive through normal public investment.

4

Con: Massive electric consumption

Modern data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity because servers run continuously while powerful cooling systems remove the heat they generate around the clock .

As cloud computing and artificial intelligence continue expanding, experts expect electricity demand from American data centers to grow rapidly, requiring utilities to build additional generating and transmission capacity.

5

Pro: Construction jobs and economic activity

Constructing a hyperscale data center is a massive undertaking that can last several years. Hundreds of construction workers, electricians, engineers, truck drivers, and contractors may be involved during the building phase .

The project also boosts nearby hotels, restaurants, equipment suppliers, and local businesses serving the temporary workforce. Much of this economic activity occurs before the facility even begins operating.

6

Con: High water use

Many facilities use water-based cooling systems to improve efficiency, particularly during hot weather. Depending on the technology used, consumption can be significant throughout the year .

This has become a growing concern in drought-prone regions, where residents and local officials debate whether expanding technology campuses should compete with other important community water needs.

7

Pro: Some permanent high-paying jobs

Once completed, data centers require technicians, network specialists, electricians, maintenance engineers, and security staff to keep operations running around the clock without interruption.

Although permanent staffing is relatively small, many of these technical positions pay well above average local wages and can help attract additional technology companies to the surrounding area.

8

Con: Large, industrial-looking buildings

Most data centers are designed for function rather than appearance. They are typically large, windowless buildings surrounded by fences, cooling equipment, substations, and security systems.

Even with landscaping, these facilities often resemble industrial warehouses . Some residents worry they will permanently change the character of suburban neighborhoods or previously rural communities.

9

Pro: potential property-value gains in some markets

The effect on nearby home values varies from one community to another. In some growing technology regions, new investment has coincided with rising demand for housing and stable property prices .

Researchers caution that there is no universal rule. Local planning, neighborhood design, and overall economic growth all influence whether nearby homeowners ultimately benefit from higher property values.

10

Con: Limited long-term employment relative to their size

Construction creates hundreds of temporary jobs, but the finished facility usually requires only a relatively small permanent workforce to operate and maintain its systems .

Critics argue that billion-dollar campuses occupying vast amounts of land often provide far fewer long-term jobs than factories, manufacturing plants, or large distribution centers of similar size.

11

Pro: Very little traffic after construction

Construction brings heavy equipment, delivery trucks, and hundreds of workers. Once the building is finished, however, daily traffic usually drops dramatically compared with many other industrial sites .

Unlike warehouses or factories, operational data centers employ relatively few people. Most days, only technicians, maintenance crews, security personnel, and occasional service vehicles enter the property.

12

Con: Backup generator emissions and air quality concerns

Nearly every data center maintains large diesel backup generators that automatically provide power during electrical outages. They are also tested periodically to ensure reliable operation.

Although these engines are regulated under environmental laws, nearby residents sometimes express concerns about exhaust emissions, air quality, and the cumulative effects as more facilities are built .

1

Wheel of Fortune

Image: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Created in 1975 and still on the air, Wheel of Fortune features three contestants competing to solve a word puzzle, in a manner similar to Hangman , to win money and prizes. For 41 years, it was hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White to great ratings success. In 2024, Sajak announced his retirement and was replaced by presenter and producer Ryan Seacrest.

Throughout the years, Wheel of Fortune has had many international adaptations and is currently the longest-running syndicated game show in U.S. television history.

2

Family Feud

Image: RDNE Stock project

And the survey says... Family Feud is hilarious! For most of the past 45 years, this game show has offered us fun and innocent entertainment. Family Feud has had different hosts, such as Richard Dawson and Steve Harvey, and has introduced us to some of the most curious American families and some of the most unexpected answers in television history.

Winner of several Emmy Awards and exported to over 50 international markets, we hope to have Family Feud for many more years!

3

Press Your Luck

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Remember The Whammy? This show's mascot, an animated devil, was the one thing to avoid at all costs to win the most money in Press Your Luck . And answer a few questions correctly, of course!

Press Your Luck first aired in 1983 . It was discontinued and resurrected many times since, but in 2019, it came back to stay. Nowadays, it airs on ABC and is hosted by actress, director, and producer Elizabeth Banks.

4

The Price is Right

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In a 2007 article, TV Guide selected The Price is Right as "the best quiz show of all time". Do you agree? It's the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, so it makes sense. The original version ran from 1956 to 1965 on NBC, while the current version has been running since 1972 on CBS.

Bob Barker, who hosted The Price is Right for 35 years, turned this show in which contestants must guess the exact price of different products, into an all-time institution. We will forever remember his voice uttering the famous catchphrase "Coooome on down!"

5

Card Sharks

Image: Amanda Jones

There have been four different versions of Card Sharks from 1978 to 2021, presented by famous hosts like Jim Perry, Bob Eubanks, and Joel McHale.

The show is based on some random but funny survey questions contestants must answer to control a row of oversized playing cards. Will the next card be higher or lower? Place your bets!

6

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Image: Anete Lusina

Phone a friend or ask the audience: Is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire one of the best game shows TV has ever given us? We certainly think so, and that's our final answer!

Unlike most of the programs listed in this article, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is not a native American show but rather a British format. Yet, U.S. audiences seem to have embraced it with open arms. Because, let's be honest, who would turn down the chance to win a million dollars?

7

Hollywood Squares

Image: NBC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During the years it remained on the air, many celebrities took up the squares of this sort of human tic-tac-toe. Personalities like Vincent Price, Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin, and Whoopi Goldberg, among others, not only made this show fun but also legendary.

Hollywood Squares aired from 1966 to 2004 with a couple of interruptions in between and was presented by different hosts. However, that didn't stop it from winning several Emmy awards and being regarded as one of the greatest game shows ever.

8

The Dating Game

Image: Pexels

We are so used to the many dating shows now on the air that we take them for granted. However, The Dating Game , which first premiered in 1965, was a true pioneer. Since its release and until 2021, the show was revived several times with different variants but the same appeal.

The format was very simple: a single man or woman would ask questions to three unseen candidates. At the end of the episode, he or she would choose one to go on an all-expenses-paid date. The Dating Game is also known for having featured many stars before they became famous, like Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett, Steve Martin, Suzanne Somers, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others.

9

Deal or no Deal

Image: Giorgio Trovato

This show doesn't have a long history on television, but those mysterious silver suitcases that may —or may not— hide lots of cash deserve a place on this list.

Deal or No Deal is, in fact, an American version of a Dutch game show that first premiered on NBC in 2005. It was hosted by Canadian comedian and TV personality Howie Mandel. Despite its ratings success, it was eventually discontinued in 2019.

10

Jeopardy!

Image: Possessed Photography

Did you know that the original name intended for this show was What's the Question ? Luckily, a skeptical executive who was not convinced by the game's concept said, "It doesn't have enough jeopardy". And the rest is history!

A quiz competition with a twist, Jeopardy! is one of the most beloved game shows in America. The first version of this iconic TV program aired on NBC from 1964 to 1975. In 1984, Jeopardy! returned to the small screen as a daily syndicated series —hosted by the legendary Alex Trebek and narrated by Johnny Gilbert— and is still on the air today.

1

It was the only foreign occupation of Washington

In August 1814, Washington, D.C. fell under British control during the War of 1812, marking the only time in history that a foreign army has captured the U.S. capital.

The British quickly descended upon and moved into the city, and for one tense night, the American government and its symbols (like the Capitol and the Presidential Mansion) were at the mercy of foreign soldiers.

2

Planned retaliation for American raids

The British attack was not random. The year before, American troops had burned York, the capital of Upper Canada (now Toronto), and destroyed homes in Port Dover.

Historians explain that, through this invasion, the British hoped to humiliate the United States on the world stage and force it to accept peace negotiations .

3

Who were the key British commanders?

The attack on Washington was carried out under the leadership of Major General Robert Ross and Rear Admiral George Cockburn. Ross commanded the land forces that marched directly into the city after defeating the Americans at Bladensburg.

Cockburn even posed for sketches in the Capitol’s chamber before ordering it set ablaze.

4

Iconic buildings were targeted and destroyed

Once inside Washington, the British struck at the heart of the nation’s institutions. The Capitol building , a symbol of American democracy, was set on fire, and its chambers, library, and even the Supreme Court room were consumed in flames.

The Presidential Mansion, which would later earn the name "White House" — then occupied by President James Madison — was also targeted. Other damaged key government buildings were the Treasury and the War Department.

5

The original Library of Congress was lost

Among the greatest cultural losses was the destruction of the Library of Congress. Housed in the Capitol’s north wing, its collection contained about 3,000 volumes. Unlike today’s collection, which spans every human subject imaginable, this original library was mostly practical. It consisted of documents, like British common law records or international laws and treaties, carefully gathered to serve lawmakers.

In just a few hours, all of that had been reduced to ashes. The loss was so devastating that Congress later purchased Thomas Jefferson’s personal library (6,487 books) to rebuild the national collection. Jefferson was a true polymath; his collection included books on architecture, agriculture, chemistry, philosophy, and literature in multiple languages. This new foundation shifted the idea of what a national library should be.

6

A valuable ledger was stolen and later returned

Not everything was destroyed in the fire; some items were simply stolen. Rear Admiral Cockburn seized a large financial ledger from the Treasury, reportedly amused by the idea of plundering the Americans’ accounting books.

He later gifted it to his brother in England, where it remained as a curious war trophy for more than a century. In 1940, the ledger was returned to the United States and today rests in the Library of Congress.

7

Dolley Madison performed a daring rescue

Amid the chaos, First Lady Dolley Madison became a heroine ; reports claim that, before fleeing the Presidential Mansion, she insisted on saving the full-length portrait of George Washington that hung in the dining room. The canvas was too firmly screwed to the wall to move quickly, so staff aided in smashing its frame to rescue it.

Thanks to her foresight, the portrait survives today and still hangs in the White House.

8

British troops dined at the White House

Before setting the mansion alight, the British paused for a rather theatrical stunt. Finding a meal that President Madison had left behind on the dining table, they sat down to feast, eating from the presidential china and drinking wine.

9

A devastating storm intervened

Shortly after the fires were set, a thunderstorm swept into the city . This helped douse some of the flames, but hardly helped; witnesses described winds strong enough to lift cannons and topple buildings, killing soldiers on both sides. This forced the British to retreat for safety.

10

Capital for a day: Brookeville’s role

During the invasion, President James Madison sought refuge outside the city. He ended up in Brookeville, a small Quaker town in Maryland, where he spent the night at the home of a local silversmith.

For that brief period, the quiet village earned the nickname "United States Capital for a Day."

11

The government regrouped in the Patent Office, which had been spared

With the Capitol burned and government records destroyed, Congress needed a new place to meet. They turned to Blodgett’s Hotel, a tavern that also housed the Post and Patent Office. Legend has it that it had survived only because its clerk convinced the British not to burn it.

12

The events were turned into a symbol of national unity

For Americans, the sight of their capital in ruins was deeply humiliating. Newspapers at the time described widespread panic and shame, and the event seemed to have exposed the young republic before the world.

But in the months that followed, the destruction sparked a renewed sense of unity among citizens. They rallied behind the effort to rebuild, and the nation’s leaders treated the task as symbolic of America’s resilience.