Local government of Prince William County in Northern Virginia has announced that this small corner of the US now houses more than 3 million square feet of data center space.

“Data centers are big business, both worldwide and here in Virginia, and have a large overall economic impact, which yields significant capital investment and highly-skilled, high-paying jobs to Prince William County,” said Corey Stewart, chairman of Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

“This is a very important milestone for the County and it clearly demonstrates our unique value proposition is in-play.”

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Northern Virginia is one of the most attractive data center markets in the US thanks to its location on the East Coast that benefits from transatlantic cable links, low taxes, cheap power and close proximity to Washington.

Prince William County in particular has become a hotbed for data center projects, with plenty of power, fiber and space still available.

The County hit the 3 million square feet milestone after completing 27 economic development projects that provided a combined total of more than $5 billion in capital investment and brought approximately 800 new jobs.

“Prince William County is an established data center market, so what we are seeing now is merely a matter of statistics finally catching up with reality. By some estimates, Prince William County now accounts for 27 percent of the Northern Virginia data center market. We have ample room for growth and are excited by the prospects and possibilities that lay ahead,” said Jeffrey Kaczmarek, executive director of Prince William County Department of Economic Development.

In May 2016, Prince William County approved the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District (DCOOD), designating 10,000 acres to support data centers and related facilities.

According to research by JLL, demand for data center space in the region is expected to exceed last year’s by more than 30 percent.