Wyoming Residents Bristle at Giant Data Center 'Man Camp'

The cows and antelope outside Stan and Tammy Higgins' Wyoming home have been replaced by construction crews—and now a temporary "city" for thousands of workers may be next. The Wall Street Journal's Joe Barrett reports on a proposal for a massive "man camp" near Cheyenne that would house up to 5,600 laborers building an exploding cluster of data centers for Meta, Microsoft, and others—a complex bigger than most towns in Wyoming. Developer Iron Guard Housing pitches it as secure, dorm-style living with amenities from gyms to pickleball; local officials say it could keep an already tight rental market from being overwhelmed.

Residents see something else: a threat to the quiet, rural lifestyle that drew them there. At packed public meetings, some recalled earlier oil-and-gas "man camps" tied to crime and disorder, while others warned that Wyoming is being remade in the mold of neighboring boom states. The Higginses, whose conversations are already drowned out by passing trucks, fear there will be "no end" to the development. Supporters counter that the AI-era buildout is a rare economic opportunity that's finally bringing young workers home. The project's fate is now uncertain as county officials consider alternate sites. To see how this local fight captures the broader tensions of the AI boom, read Barrett's full piece in the Journal.