In the classic boardgame Monopoly, buying a property is as simple as dropping a few (fake) dollar bills in the bank, picking up a tiny plastic building, and placing it on a space.

If only it were that easy in real life.

In an ironic twist, ecommerce – which many predicted would “replace” traditional brick-and-mortar stores – has actually sparked a renaissance in physical retail.

Meta’s Altoona data center will become the company’s largest in the world by 2025, the company formerly known as Facebook announced.

More than 400 people work on-site at the data center, and more than 1,000 construction workers have been on-site during its build-out. The wind-powered data center reflects a $2.5 billion investment. 

Altoona is part of the Des Moines Iowa Metro area with a city population over 20,000 and over 4 million visitors annually. The visitor rate is driven by our robust entertainment and attraction venues such as Adventureland Entertainment Park, Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, Bass Pro Shops and Outlets of Des Moines shopping mall. 

The City Administrator is responsible for the daily administration and coordination of all city affairs and supervises seven department heads. Altoona employs 121 full-time employees with 32 part-time staff members.

As public and private leaders lay out a roadmap for Industry 4.0, the business climate for Iowa manufacturers has never been better.

Although Iowa is widely known as a global food supplier, manufacturing has long been the bread and butter of the state’s economy.