St. Louis is becoming an appealing location for the data center industry.

Data centers may soon fill centuries-old buildings in downtown St. Louis. At the same time, the rate of businesses migrating out of the city is increasing, but the area is becoming more attractive to the data center industry. Three companies that already occupy data center space in downtown St. Louis are planning to expand their operations.

Unisys chose to locate a new software center and 300 jobs in St. Louis over Minneapolis-St. Paul and Salt Lake City. Ted Davies, president of Unisys' federal system business, said:

We wanted a ‘cool' building. We are hiring a lot of younger folks, and they like the look and feel of being downtown.

Cost and proximity to the Rural Development agency at the Agriculture Department, a prospective customer, were also key factors in the decision, according to The New York Times.

Like Google's building in Manhattan, St. Louis' older buildings lend themselves to various data center models because of their high ceilings and heavy construction function.