Oklahoma, Where The Google Comes Sweepin’ Down The Plain

From California, Google has spread out across the great land of the United States. New York! Washington! Arizona! And now which of the fifty nifty United States is Google heading to next? Oklahoma! Below, some news of Google’s plans for the Sooner State and well as a recap of what other states it has conquered over time, as it builds the United States Of Google.

Google is eyeing Pryor Creek, Oklahoma. Since the industrial park has its own power plant, the smart money is that Google will be placing another of its energy-guzzling data centers there (shouldn’t they all go out in the desert now, with miles of solar collectors to power them?).

From Computerworld:

All Google will say about the Oklahoma site is that the company is evaluating it.

"We’re just sitting here in a corner of a state – out of sight, out of mind," says Sanders Mitchell, administrator of the MidAmerica complex. He says that with a bit of a chuckle, because his 7,000-acre industrial park may be the largest rural facility of its kind in the US.

The park includes a coal-fired electrical generating facility operated by the Grand River Dam Authority that can produce about 1,000 megawatts of power annually. According to a spokesman for the authority, it charges about 4.5 cents per kilowatt hour, which is similar to the electricity rates charged in the areas around The Dalles and Lenoir.

The local Pryor paper has this to say:

“The possibility of Google coming to Pryor, the value that it will bring, not just to Mayes County, but the state … I don’t believe we can even imagine (the impact) right now as far as the kind of jobs that it could bring,” said Pryor Area Chamber of Commerce Director Barbara Hawkins.

“We’re really excited about the possibility,” said Hawkins, adding it also validates the progress of the MAIP and the quality of life of Pryor and Mayes County. “That companies such as Gatorade and possibly, Google, are acknowledging and realizing that not only is our park extraordinary, but the people in our area as well.”

MAIP Administrator Sanders Mitchell said Friday afternoon that he still cannot release the identify of the company which purchased the 800 acres south of Gatorade.

Mitchell cannot confirm nor deny that Google is the company which will locate on the recently purchased property.

Oklahoma would just be the latest in a number of states to get Google a Google presence. Want a rundown? The Google Offices page lists some places where Google operates. But Google has data centers that aren’t listed.

To fill in the gaps, below is a state-by-state rundown on where Google operates. We tried to note the date the company first arrived in a state. In some case, Google may have multiple operations within a state. We also listed Washington D.C. on the list. We know it’s not perfect — we know might be missing some states — but you have to start somewhere!

• ALABAMA
• ALASKA
• ARIZONA (October 2005, Phoenix research office announced)
• ARKANSAS
• CALIFORNIA (September 1998, Google was founded in California, first ran out of Stanford University, then a Menlo Park garage, before jumping to the first Googleplex in Mountain View. Google now has multiple offices in the state)
• COLORADO (March 2006, Google acquired the makers of SketchUp, giving the company an office in Boulder)
• CONNECTICUT
• DELAWARE
• FLORIDA
• GEORGIA (March 2007, see President Jimmy Carter Speaks at Google’s Atlanta Office)
• HAWAII
• IDAHO
• ILLINOIS (2000, first sales office opens in apartment of sales director John DiCola. It’s grown since then)
• INDIANA
• IOWA
• KANSAS
• KENTUCKY
• LOUISIANA
• MAINE
• MARYLAND
• MASSACHUSETTS (Late 2005, it seems the Cambridge sales office it opened)
• MICHIGAN (July 2006, plans announced, see Google to Put a Research Center in Michigan)
• MINNESOTA (not there, but 5 Shiny Reasons Google Should Take Over Ford’s Twin Cities Auto Plant is a humorous look at why they should consider the state)
• MISSISSIPPI
• MISSOURI
• MONTANA
• NEBRASKA
• NEVADA
• NEW HAMPSHIRE
• NEW JERSEY
• NEW YORK (From at least 2000, Google’s been in the state. It recently moved to a ritzy new office. See Google’s Manhattan Office Attractive & Inviting).
• NEW MEXICO
• NORTH CAROLINA (January 2007, see Google Picks North Carolina For Server Farm)
• NORTH DAKOTA
• OHIO
• OKLAHOMA
• OREGON (2006, opened server facility in The Dalles)
• PENNSYLVANIA (December 2005, Pittsburgh office announced)
• RHODE ISLAND
• SOUTH CAROLINA (December 2006, land purchased for expected data center; See Google’s Carolina Moves: $100 Million Tax Breaks In North, Server Farm Coming To South?)
• SOUTH DAKOTA
• TENNESSEE
• TEXAS (At least by March 2007, see Stealth Tour Of Google Audio’s Dallas Office)
• UTAH
• VERMONT
• VIRGINIA
• WASHINGTON (November 2004, Kirkland office opens)
• WASHINGTON D.C. (October 2005, see Google goes to Washington)
• WEST VIRGINIA
• WISCONSIN
• WYOMING

Now let’s zoom in chronologically on how Google has exercised its manifest destiny:

1. CALIFORNIA (September 1998)
2. NEW YORK (From at least 2000).
3. ILLINOIS (2000)
4. WASHINGTON (November 2004)
5. WASHINGTON D.C. (October 2005)
6. ARIZONA (October 2005)
7. MASSACHUSETTS (Late 2005)
8. PENNSYLVANIA (December 2005)
9. COLORADO (March 2006)
10. MICHIGAN (July 2006)
11. OREGON (2006)
12. SOUTH CAROLINA (December 2006)
13. NORTH CAROLINA (January 2007)
14. GEORGIA (March 2007)
15. TEXAS (At least by March 2007)

What’s left?

1. ALABAMA
2. ALASKA
3. ARKANSAS
4. CONNECTICUT
5. DELAWARE
6. FLORIDA
7. HAWAII
8. IDAHO
9. INDIANA
10. IOWA
11. KANSAS
12. KENTUCKY
13. LOUISIANA
14. MAINE
15. MARYLAND
16. MINNESOTA
17. MISSISSIPPI
18. MISSOURI
19. MONTANA
20. NEBRASKA
21. NEVADA
22. NEW HAMPSHIRE
23. NEW JERSEY
24. NEW MEXICO
25. NORTH DAKOTA
26. OHIO
27. OKLAHOMA
28. RHODE ISLAND
29. SOUTH DAKOTA
30. TENNESSEE
31. UTAH
32. VERMONT
33. VIRGINIA
34. WEST VIRGINIA
35. WISCONSIN
36. WYOMING

Did we miss something? Get a first entry date long? Feel free to add below!

Postscript: Just in! Google goes after Iowa!