General General 4 min read

Facts to make up your mind

Is living near a data center good or bad? 12 facts to make up your mind

Image: Gorodenkoff

Nearly everything you do online depends on data centers. Let that sink in, because it’s true. They power cloud storage, streaming, banking, shopping, artificial intelligence, and much more. As these facilities spread across the country, more people are finding themselves living nearby. Perhaps you do too. While these centers can bring economic benefits, they also raise concerns about noise, energy, and community impact. Whether you like this or not, we are not here to change your mind. But we can present six advantages and six drawbacks worth knowing about.

1
Pro: More local tax revenue

Image: Alexander Schimmeck

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

Image: imgix

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

Image: BART SADOWSKI PL

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

Image: Jon Moore

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

Image: Jeriden Villegas

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

Image: Daniel Sinoca

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

Image: ThisisEngineering

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

Image: Geoffrey Moffett

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

Image: Artful Homes

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

Image: jesse orrico

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

Image: Make more Aerials

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

Image: Matthew G Eddy

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 .

History History 6 min read

Who was the real Paul Revere? 10 shocking facts beyond the legend

Image: Keith J Finks

Like many stories from early American history, the myth of the heroic patriot galloping through the midnight dark, shouting a legendary warning, has completely overshadowed the man. The real Paul Revere was a fascinating human being. He was a craftsman, an innovator, and a family man. Let’s pull back the curtain on the legend and look at ten surprising facts you probably never knew about America’s favorite midnight rider.

1
He was of French descent

Image: John Singleton Copley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

While we think of Paul Revere as an early American icon, his roots lay across the Atlantic. His father, Apollos Rivoire, was a French Huguenot (a member of the French Reformed Church) who fled religious persecution and immigrated to Boston as a teenager.

To fit in his new home, Apollos Americanized the family name to "Revere". Paul was born in late 1734 or early 1735, the son of Apollos and a Boston local called Deborah Hichborn. Apollos was so interested in blending in that he never taught his children to speak and read French. In fact, a young Paul Revere even fought against the French as part of the colonial forces during the French and Indian War.

2
He was an accomplished artisan

Image: Paul Revere, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Before he was a revolutionary, Revere was a master craftsman. He learned the art of silversmithing from his father and quickly gained a reputation as an accomplished artisan. He designed seals, coats of arms, plate engravings, and silver teapots.

Revere also used his engraving skills to create sharp political cartoons that mocked the British. His most famous artistic work was a sensationalized engraving of the 1770 Boston Massacre. It wasn’t entirely historically accurate, but it spread through the colonies, stirring up the anti-British sentiment that laid the groundwork for the Revolution.

3
He worked as an amateur dentist

Image: See page for author, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When silversmithing work ran slow, Revere picked up a side hustle: dentistry. He started cleaning teeth and crafting dental prosthetics out of animal teeth and walrus ivory for the people of Boston.

This amateur dental career actually led to a major moment in American history. In 1775, Revere’s close friend, Dr. Joseph Warren, was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill and buried in an unmarked mass grave by British soldiers. A year later, when the bodies were exhumed, the remains were unrecognizable. Yet, Revere was able to identify Warren’s body by recognizing the specific ivory tooth and custom wire bridge he had personally crafted for his friend. It’s widely considered one of the earliest documented cases of forensic dentistry in the United States.

4
He played a key role in early intelligence efforts

Image: Zack Frank

Long before the CIA existed, Paul Revere was working as a pioneer of organized American espionage. As a member of the Sons of Liberty, Revere wanted to track British movements closely. In 1774, he helped form a spy group known as "the mechanics" or the "Liberty Boys".

These men were Bostonian blacksmiths, artisans, and laborers who used their ordinary routines to watch British troops, listening for rumors of upcoming military actions. The spies would gather at the city’s historic Green Dragon Tavern to trade secrets and map out British movements.

5
Longfellow's inaccurate poem

Image: Grant Wood, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

If your knowledge of Revere comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous 1861 poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," you’ve been given a romanticized version of history. Longfellow wrote the poem nearly a century later, on the brink of the American Civil War, to stir up national pride.

In reality, Revere wasn’t a lone rider. The night of April 18, 1775, Revere set out with two other main horsemen: William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott. As they triggered local alarms, dozens of other riders joined the effort. By midnight, more than 40 people were racing across the country, spreading the word. Furthermore, Revere never actually made it to his final destination of Concord. He was captured and briefly detained by a British patrol.

6
He didn’t even own a horse for his midnight ride

Image: Tichnor Bros. Inc., Boston, Mass., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s hard to imagine the midnight ride without Revere’s faithful steed, but the truth is, Revere didn’t even own a horse when the fateful night arrived. Because he had to be quietly rowed across the Charles River, bringing a horse from Boston was out of the question.

Once he reached Charlestown, he had to find a ride. He ended up borrowing a horse from a sympathetic local merchant called John Larkin. Legend has it that this borrowed mare was named "Brown Beauty". Sadly, after Revere was captured later that night, the soldiers confiscated the horse, and she was never seen again.

7
He didn’t actually say THAT

Image: Leonard Everett Fisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"The British are coming!" is one of the most famous quotes in American history, but Revere never said it. The countryside was crawling with British soldiers, so his mission had to be very quiet. Yelling at the top of his lungs would have landed him in military prison before he even left town. Instead, he went door to door delivering the warning quietly to specific patriots.

Also, the phrase wouldn’t have made sense to the colonists. At the moment in 1775, the colonists still considered themselves British citizens. Instead, historical accounts indicate that Revere used the phrase, "The Regulars are coming out!" "Regulars" was the standard colonial term for the standing British army troops.

8
His military record wasn't outstanding

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Although Revere was a phenomenal community organizer and courier, his transition into traditional military leadership didn’t go smoothly. During the war, he served as a major and later a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts State Artillery. His military career hit a disastrous low point in the summer of 1779 during the Penobscot Expedition in modern-day Maine.

The mission was a total failure for the Americans. In the aftermath, Revere was accused of cowardice, laziness, and disobedience. He faced a court-martial and spent several years fighting to clear his name. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges in 1782, but the incident permanently tarnished his dreams of military glory.

9
Fatherhood came early… and often

Image: Jeffrey M. Frank

If you think managing a household today is stressful, consider Paul Revere’s domestic life: he fathered an astonishing 16 children.

He had his first eight children with his first wife, Sarah Orne. Following her death in 1773, he remarried a woman called Rachel Walker, with whom he had another eight children. They crammed this huge family into a small townhouse at 19 North Square in downtown Boston. Amazingly for the 18th century, 11 of his 16 children survived to adulthood.

10
Revere Copper Products, Inc. is still in operation

Image: Jaclyn Vernace

After the Revolution ended, Revere left politics and went back to industry with some success. He opened a hardware store, a foundry, and the first rolling copper mill in the United States.

In fact, his business supplied the copper used to protect the hull of the USS Constitution. He also cast nearly 1,000 church bells, many of which still ring across New England today. Amazingly, the company he founded, Revere Copper Products, Inc., is still in business. Paul Revere passed away in 1818 at the age of 83, leaving behind a legacy more industrious than a single night’s ride.

History History 4 min read

Weird America

Prepare to be shocked: these 10 American mysteries remain unsolved

Image: Susan Q Yin

Everyone loves a good mystery, and American history is teaming with fascinating examples. From vanished aviators to secret codes and missing treasures, these real stories have puzzled experts for decades. Some are dark, others simply strange, but all remain open chapters in our past. Take a look at the following 10 unsolved mysteries. Which ones did you already know?

1
The disappearance of Amelia Earhart (1937)

Image: Job Vermeulen

The first entry on our list is dedicated to a world-renowned flight pioneer, Amelia Earhart, who vanished while attempting to become the first woman to fly around the globe , leaving behind only fragments of her plane and endless speculation. Radio failure, poor visibility, and fuel issues are speculated to be contributing factors to her disappearance.

Even with modern technology and repeated searches, no one has ever found definitive proof of what happened to Amelia or her aircraft.

2
The D.B. Cooper hijacking (1971)

Image: Christine Trefalt

In 1971, Dan Cooper, a seemingly quiet man, boarded a plane in Portland, Oregon, which he promptly hijacked when the aircraft was in the air. He demanded $200,000 over the radio.

The plane landed in Seattle, where authorities met his demands. Cooper released all 36 passengers in exchange for the cash and parachutes. He then ordered the remaining crew to fly toward Mexico City at a low altitude and slow speed. Somewhere over southwest Washington, he lowered the aircraft's aft stairs and jumped into the freezing night, never to be seen again.

3
The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (1975)

Image: Pavel Inozemtsev

The powerful union leader left a Detroit restaurant in 1975 and simply vanished . Witnesses last saw him standing by his car in the restaurant’s parking lot, and investigators believe he was coaxed into a car by people he recognized, thinking the meeting location had changed. He was never seen again. Searches in fields, lakes, and construction sites turned up nothing. To this day, it remains one of the most famous unsolved mysteries in American history.

Rumors range from mob connections to government cover-ups, but none have been proven. Ever since then, Hoffa’s name has become shorthand for anything that disappears without a trace.

4
The Yuba County Five (1978)

Image: Sebastian Unrau

In what came to be known as "America’s Dyatlov Pass", five friends vanished after attending a basketball game in the town of Chico, California. Months later, the bodies of four members of the group were found in the mountains under mysterious conditions .

The remaining member of the original party was never located, and their strange route into deep snow remains unexplained.

5
The Sodder Children (1975)

Image: Marita Kavelashvili

A fire destroyed the Sodder family home in West Virginia, but five children were never found among the remains of the house. Because of physical inconsistencies at the scene and strange sightings afterward, the family always believed they survived.

Over the years, strange sightings and letters fueled hope and confusion alike, but no real evidence has ever been found. Because of these clues, the Sodders never held a funeral and instead famously erected a billboard on Route 16, offering a reward for information and keeping the case in the public eye for decades.

6
The Springfield Three (1992)

Image: David Holgerson

On a warm summer night in 1992, Sherrill Sherrill Levitt, her daughter Suzie, and Suzie's friend Stacy vanished from their home in Springfield, Missouri, leaving behind their cars, purses, and even the family dog .

Friends arriving the next morning found the house empty but unlocked. Despite thousands of leads, no evidence or remains have surfaced. The case remains one of the most talked-about disappearances in small-town America to this day.

7
The Gardner Museum Heist (1990)

Image: Dannie Jing

Back in 1990, two men dressed as police officers entered Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and stole 13 works of art worth over $500 million .

No piece has ever been recovered. Empty frames still hang on the museum walls, a quiet tribute to one of history’s most expensive thefts.

8
The Max Headroom broadcast hijack (1987)

Image: Rubenz Arizta

1980s television viewers might remember Max Headroom as a somewhat clumsy computer AI TV personality and ad spokesperson. In 1987, Chicago viewers were startled when a strange figure wearing a Max Headroom mask interrupted TV broadcasts with odd messages .

The stunt lasted only seconds, but no one was ever caught or identified. It remains one of the strangest unsolved moments in television history.

9
The Great Lakes ghost ships

Image: Kyle Larivee

Over the years, s everal ships have vanished or been found adrift on the Great Lakes , their crews gone without explanation. Cold weather, sudden storms, and superstition all play roles in the stories, but some cases defy logic. The vast inland seas are simply too big to be accessible with the current technology.

Among the most notable unsolved cases, we can mention Le Griffon, a ship that vanished during her maiden voyage in 1679, the SS Banockburn, known as the "Flying Dutchman of Lake Superior," disappeared during a storm in 1902, or the SS Chicora, a luxury steamer lost in a violent winter gale while carrying a cargo of flour, in 1895.

10
The Dulce Base Mystery

Image: Pict4life

Beginning in the 1970s, a constant array of strange lights, unmarked aircraft, and talk of secret tunnels near the town of Dulce has fueled decades of conspiracy theories in this otherwise quiet area to this day.

While skeptics blame radar tests or imagination, locals still report odd sightings in the desert skies.

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