Why Not West Kentucky?

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 12:01 pm

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that that the state of North Carolina is offering a sweet deal to Apple to set up a “server farm” for the East Coast. The company can get up to $46 million in breaks in the next decade if the company’s investment reaches one billion dollars in nine years.

A server farm is a series of huge climate controlled computer warehouses spread over a large area. They are big power and water users.

The catch for Apple?

They relocate to one of North Carolina’s poorest counties

Provide employees with health insurance

Meet a minimum wage standard

Waive all other grants and tax breaks from the state

The idea isn’t to create lots of jobs. The project would only employ about 100. The investment of millions of dollars for construction and ancillary industries is attractive enough that the state is considering altering its tax code for one company.

This is an idea suited to West Kentucky where vast tracts of flat land are available, water is plentiful and power is cheap.