Quincy, Washington leverages data centers to fund community upgrades

Around twenty years ago, Microsoft selected Quincy, a central Washington farming community of about 8,100 residents, for its first data centers because of inexpensive land, a cool climate and abundant Columbia River hydropower. Over time, the facilities have generated tax revenue that funded a state-of-the-art high school, a hospital, and a recently opened aquatic center featuring a lap pool, lazy river and waterslides, with plans for an indoor sports complex.

Microsoft now cites Quincy as evidence that data centers can deliver tangible community benefits, pledging that future projects will set utility rates high enough to cover their power needs without shifting costs to households and will use closed-loop cooling that recycles water. A joint $31 million water-reuse utility already saves an estimated 138 million gallons of water annually. Nonetheless, former Mayor Patty Martin cautions that the town must look beyond immediate gains and address long-term water and electricity pressures from population growth, electric-vehicle adoption and shifting snowpack. Quincy’s experience illustrates both the economic upside and the strategic questions small towns face when courting large tech infrastructure.