As Smithfield moves to ban data centers, Smith Hill is still debating how to define them

By: Alexander Castro

Outlets: Rhode Island Current

Published: April 13, 2026

Words: 2,263

Last Updated: 2 months, 2 weeks ago

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There’s no concrete proposal yet for a data center in Smithfield.

But there is a ghost town.

A 2010 inventory of Smithfield’s historic sites described a settlement known as Hanton City, located near Fidelity Investments’ corporate campus, like this: “Was a late 17th C. farming village, now just ruins. Some is protected and some is private. Large undeveloped tract of land.”

An investment group formed by two local families takes its name from the …

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