Meta Altoona data center, Altoona, Iowa

Meta's data center campus in Altoona, Polk County, Iowa, is about 5.5 million square feet of buildings along Interstate 80 on the north edge of the Des Moines suburb; Meta broke ground there in 2013 and says it has invested more than $2.5 billion in Iowa, supporting more than 400 operational jobs. The Altoona campus has become a model other towns visit before deciding on data centers of their own.

Meta says it worked with MidAmerican Energy to pay the full cost of the energy the data center uses, and with the city of Altoona to pay the full cost of its water and wastewater service. Meta's annual water withdrawal in Altoona was 64 million gallons in 2024, and on a hot summer day it may use as much as 300,000 gallons, Mayor Dean O'Connor said. Meta and other big users might take 15 to 20 percent of Altoona's water supply on a high-use day, city utilities director Dan Scott said, and the city is spending $50 million on new wells and treatment to double its water supply for overall growth.

The developer Tract has bought a 453-acre, fully entitled site in Altoona between Northeast 62nd and 70th avenues that it says can support up to 1 gigawatt of power. The city's Planning and Zoning Commission recommended rezoning about 370 acres of newly annexed farmland north of Interstate 80 from agricultural to limited industrial, and Altoona has approved a 10-year tax abatement for properties in the annexed area.

In August 2026 the St. Joseph, Missouri, city council scheduled a visit to Altoona to study the city's experience with data centers; city utilities director Dan Scott said Altoona gets about one inquiry a month from would-be data center builders. Decisions on new data centers in Altoona, including rezonings, rest with the Altoona City Council.