Скачать или смотреть Meta's $10B Louisiana data center brings mixed emotions for locals

For most of his life, Buddy McCartney, 76, has lived in what he describes as the quiet, close-knit unincorporated community of Holly Ridge, Louisiana.

That all changed, he said, when Meta began building what will become one of the world's biggest data centers just a few minutes down the road from his house.

"The public and the people living here didn't know what was going on till it hit," McCartney said.

From his front window, McCartney watches hundreds of trucks pass by every day on their way to the construction site. The traffic gets so bad McCartney sometimes can't pull out of his driveway.

"It's terrible," McCartney said. "It's just constant, nonstop traffic."

The Democratic Mayor of nearby Delhi, Louisiana shares McCartney's traffic concerns. He also worries his residents will be pushed out of their homes, as developers seek to capitalize on the influx of construction workers flooding the community.

Ultimately, however, he sees Meta's presence in the area as an opportunity that could bring more tax dollars into his town and benefit local businesses and workers.

"It means a lot for a small town like this," Washington said. "Hopefully [it will] give a lot of our people an opportunity to get good paying jobs."

That's been the case for Copeland Electric, a Louisiana-based company that's helping build the center.

"It's absolutely good for business. I mean, we have been able to bring a large percentage of our workforce back home," said Copeland Electric Office Manager Amanda Walker, noting that most of the company's projects take workers out of town.

McCartney said he hopes the center benefits local businesses and municipalities, but he doesn't believe it will improve the community at large.

He and his wife have decided to sell their home of 50 years and find a more peaceful place to live out their retirement.