Billions in Data Centers Are Coming to Rosemount, Monticello and Becker

There’s a nuclear power plant about 40 minutes from Minneapolis that most locals don’t think about. It’s a big reason Big Tech is pouring billions into three suburbs and turning them into a Midwest data hub. Here’s why Rosemount, Monticello and Becker won, and what it could mean for real estate.

Details are as of my video above (March 2026).

What’s being built

Rosemount: Meta committed $800 million to a 715,000-square-foot data center on 280 acres bought from the University of Minnesota in 2023 for about $40 million, aiming to open in 2026. In February 2025, before the first building opened, Meta bought more land across the street. Companies don’t do that unless they’re planning to expand.

Monticello: two projects totaling more than 4 million square feet on more than 650 acres, with investment estimates of $2.5 billion to $5 billion: a roughly 3-million-square-foot campus from Monticello Tech LLC and a roughly 1-million-square-foot technology park from Scannell Properties.

Becker: Microsoft bought about 300 acres near the Sherco power plant in early 2024 for roughly $18 million. No formal plans had been filed yet.

These aren’t ordinary data centers. Meta’s Rosemount facility is purpose-built for AI workloads, with power, cooling and networking designed around them. Together, it’s the largest tech infrastructure bet the Minneapolis area has seen.

Why these suburbs won

Rosemount: preparation. The site is at UMore Park, a former World War II gunpowder plant. The university and city did a full planning review years ago for large-scale development, so there were no zoning fights. Xcel Energy got pre-approval to power the site, building new transmission lines and substation upgrades paid for by Meta, not ratepayers. Meta committed to 100% renewable energy and LEED Gold, and the site is about 15 minutes from MSP Airport.

Monticello: power. The Monticello nuclear plant produces about 670 megawatts of carbon-free baseload power and just received a 20-year license extension to operate until 2050. A large data center can use 100 to 200 megawatts, and some campuses need 400-plus. Most places would wait years for new transmission; Monticello already has it. The land was already guided for industrial use, and the city updated its plan to fit the campuses.

Shared advantages:

• Cold climate. AI throws off enormous heat, and cold climates can cut mechanical cooling costs by as much as half using outside air. Our winters become a savings compared with Arizona or Texas.
• Fresh water, existing fiber and a central location for low network latency.
• Customers nearby: 17 Fortune 500 headquarters within about an hour.

What it could mean for real estate

Most people watch the building. The real story is what follows: suppliers move in, contractors open local offices, cities upgrade roads, and property tax revenue funds long-term improvements.

• Meta’s Rosemount campus supports at least 1,000 construction jobs at peak, and Monticello’s projects an estimated 1,000-plus more over 5 to 10 years.
• Xcel reports an 8,900-megawatt pipeline of data center requests and plans about $45 billion in capital investment over five years.
• Each facility should send millions a year in property taxes to its city and county.

Rosemount homes were trading in the low to mid-$400,000s (generally high $300,000s to low $500,000s), priced like a solid south metro growth suburb. It’s about 21 miles (roughly 30 minutes) from downtown Minneapolis and 20 to 30 minutes from the airport and Mall of America. New UMore Park neighborhoods like Amber Fields are already adding homes, and the university is selling more land in phases for research and tech tenants. Read more in Expo 2031 and 7 Twin Cities megaprojects.

Monticello (about 16,000 people) had typical values in the low $300,000s, many in the high $200,000s to mid-$300,000s, easily $100,000 less than Rosemount, but 40 to 50 minutes from downtown Minneapolis.

A possible timeline

This is my projection, not a promise:

• 2026: Meta opens in Rosemount, and hiring starts. It’s mostly a regional story.
• 2027: National tech press picks up the “Midwest data center boom,” and coastal investors start noticing.
• 2028: Suppliers and contractors open permanent offices. Rental demand usually rises first, then home sales follow.
• 2029 and beyond: Operations stabilize employment, and these towns get recognized as tech infrastructure hubs.

Data centers are controversial, and no one can promise appreciation. But today, Rosemount and Monticello are priced like regular growth suburbs. If you’re considering either before this becomes mainstream, email our team.