For the first time ever, GOOG allowed the press (just two folks) to enter their data center complex in The Dalles, Oregon (The Dalles is at the end of the Oregon Trail), shown above.

With just a hint of transparency, these two reporters put a human face on one of the most secretive aspects of the internet behemoth, normally this location is treated with a level of secrecy as if it’s the CIA. And with good reason, with a global computer system estimated at around 450,000 computers, how they serve and analyze internet data is their ‘golden egg’.

The reason why they’re in this location one hour from Portland, OR is due to the cheap electricity from the Columbia River’s hydrodynamic power as well as easy access to data networking.

Link to The Dalles Chronicle article describing their visit.

Want more tangible information on the 2 football field sized computing center? Try this NY Times article from 2006.

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