Google revives hopes for former furniture makers in North Carolina
The choice of Lenoir, NC, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, bodes well for other struggling manufacturing economies in the South, as Google is already considering two sites in South Carolina for similar facilities. Google will not reveal how many server farms it has or intends to build, but they are important components in its race to stay ahead of competitors like Microsoft and Yahoo.
Since the deal in Lenoir (pronounced leh-NORE) was announced in February, city and county officials have found themselves on the defensive, criticized for the secrecy of the negotiations and the package of incentives, potentially worth $260 million, that Google will receive.
At Google's request, the state legislature passed a law exempting some high-tech businesses from paying sales tax on electricity--a tax the company says it would not pay in many other states. And as long as the server farm is...
