The Preamble

The Preamble

The New Neighbors Nobody Asked For

Communities are paying the price of the data center boom

Elise Labott's avatar
Elise Labott
May 21, 2026
∙ Paid

It started with a sound Scott Montgomery could not identify.

From the back porch of his home in Vineland, NJ, a low mechanical hum drifted constantly across the surrounding farm fields. His son was confused. “He kept asking, ‘What are those helicopter noises in the background?’” Montgomery said. “And it’s just gotten worse over time.”

About a half mile aw…

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Elise Labott's avatar
A guest post by
Elise Labott
Global affairs journalist. I write Cosmopolitics on Substack.
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