Honestly, what's the alternative. The land would sit unused otherwise. If they did build it in a more developed area they would be competing against commercial

Honestly, what's the alternative. The land would sit unused otherwise. If they did build it in a more developed area they would be competing against commercial and residential interest, and for what gain? Servers don't care about a 2 hour commute, or how far they are from the airport. In the sticks or downtown, it's the same to computers. Now that one company has done the research of getting electricity, network backbone, roads, and other infrastructure built. Now, others can come along and build their datacenter next door because they know the infrastructure is there. Which is exactly what's happening in NC.