Editing Alpharetta, Georgia (section)

===Data centers===
Alpharetta invested in [[optical fiber]] since the 1980s and hosts multiple [[data center]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://businessviewmagazine.com/alpharetta-georgia-north-fulton-county-technology-hub-south/|title=Alpharetta, Georgia – North Fulton County – Technology hub of the South|date=2022-07-08|quote=Investors, seeing the potential of the city’s location just outside Atlanta, decided to install fiber optic cable in the area. What was once a primarily agricultural community quickly drew the attention of data centers and technology companies.}}</ref> In 2019, the [[fintech]] industry in the Atlanta area was a driver of data center expansion in Alpharetta.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fierce-network.com/telecom/flexential-boosts-data-center-capacity-atlanta-to-better-serve-fintech-market|title=Flexential boosts data center capacity in Atlanta to better serve fintech market|quote=Atlanta and the surrounding "Transaction Alley" represent the third-largest fintech hub in the U.S., with more than 70% of all credit card transactions processed through the Atlanta metropolitan area, according to the Atlanta Small Business Network. All told, more 120 fintech firms are headquartered or have a significant presence in Georgia with the top-10 generating annual revenue of $72 billion.}}</ref>

While supported by tax breaks from Fulton County authorities,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/hyperscale/article/55126626/details-emerge-on-microsofts-18-billion-investment-in-atlanta-data-centers-amid-tax-development-wrangles|title=Details Emerge On Microsoft's $1.8 Billion Investment In Atlanta Data Centers Amid Tax, Development Wrangles|date=2024-07-18}}</ref> data center expansion run into limitations from state regulations<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/georgia-senate-passes-bill-to-suspend-data-center-tax-exemptions/ |title=Georgia Senate passes bill to suspend data center tax exemptions|date=2024-03-18}}</ref> and local zoning authorities in 2024, as capacity in Atlanta tripled from 200 MW to over 700 MW in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/atlanta-city-council-passes-rules-limiting-data-center-locations/|title=Atlanta City Council passes rules limiting data center locations: Data centers cannot be built near the Beltline or MARTA rail stations|date=2024-09-04|quote=Officially approved on September 2, the regulations will prevent data centers from being built near the Beltline and within a half mile of MARTA rail stations, as reported by RoughDraft Atlanta. From the first to the second half of 2023, data center projects “skyrocketed from over 235MW to over 730MW, equivalent to the output of a typical natural gas plant,” the legislation said.}}</ref>