STEPHEN MOORE: Data centers aren’t just buildings. They are economic engines

On November 17, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed an executive order fixing the eastern terminus of the transcontinental railroad at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

A modest town on the Missouri River became Mile Zero of the infrastructure that built industrial America.

By the early 20th century, eight major railroads ran through Council Bluffs, and a farm-state river crossing had become one of the great junction points of the American economy.

A century and a half later, Council Bluffs is Mile Zero again.

In 2007, Google chose this town of 62,000 for one of its first company-built data centers.

The company recognized, as Lincoln did, that America's infrastructure runs through the middle of the country.

What’s also clear today are the extraordinary benefits that flow to the states and cities hosting 21st century infrastructure, such as data centers.

A SOUTHERN STATE JUST TOOK THE TOP SPOT IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING INDUSTRIES Consider Iowa, where Google has now invested more than $20 billion since breaking ground in Council Bluffs.

The investment is ongoing.

Last year, the company committed another $7 billion to expand its presence in Council Bluffs and build an entirely new campus in Cedar Rapids.

Google is not alone in committing capital to Iowa .

Meta operates one of its largest data center campuses in Altoona.

Microsoft has poured billions into West Des Moines.

The state that critics once flew over has become the crossroads of the cloud.