In exchange, the company that runs the world's largest search engine would build a hub in this foothills community for its massive international computer network and hire 210 people.

The prospect has the area abuzz, even though many residents know little about the technology titan and are unsure who would work for it.

"People are expectant but hesitant," said Dinell Clark, who, with her family, recently opened a home furnishings store in downtown Lenoir. "What do we get for that 30-year generosity?"

Google, which has not committed to a site in Lenoir, could bring $600 million in new investment, equal to half the city's tax base and more than 10 percent of Caldwell County's.

But neither city nor county would reap riches in revenue. To win the facility, Lenoir and Caldwell County officials have agreed to waive 100 percent of Google's business property taxes and 80 percent of real-estate taxes for three decades.

The state is waiving taxes, too. Last year, the General Assembly eliminated sales taxes on electricity and certain other expenses incurred to build and maintain operations like the one Google is contemplating. Department of Commerce officials have promised a separate grant, and Google can apply for additional tax credits.

The cost of the state's concessions over 30 years could top $96 million. Local politicians will not publicly estimate the cost of their enticements, but the state and local incentives combined could easily exceed $100 million.

Despite the benevolence, few, if any, of the 3,400 unemployed people in Caldwell County are likely to get the Google jobs. The positions probably will require specialized education and skills lacking in this blue-collar community.

"How can it possibly be worth it?" asked Jim Henson, a Lenoir native and single parent, who makes his living dismantling pieces of old furniture factories.

Economic officials say the largess is needed because Google is considering rival sites in South Carolina and elsewhere. And Google is needed, they contend, as the foundation for a new economy that Lenoir must put in place to move forward.

Leaders expect the Google name to lure other employers to the area, which has been devastated by manufacturing declines. It's a big gamble with an uncertain payoff that spotlights the rising price -- and risks -- of economic rejuvenation.

Prosperity in cycles

For generations, Lenoir was propped up by the furniture industry. Residents depended on the Broyhills, Bernhardts, Kincaids and other furniture families for economic well-being. The factory jobs were difficult and they didn't pay all that well, but they sustained thousands of workers.

The furniture families pumped money back into the community, building golf courses, stores and other amenities.

"There was a time when it was booming. ... There were people creating jobs left and right," said Henson, whose mother worked in a furniture factory for 30 years.

But as global competition led to consolidation and bankruptcies, plants closed or laid off workers.

In the past two years, about 2,500 people in the county lost their jobs in the furniture industry.

Empty factories and warehouses scar the city. At the mall recently, only seven stores were open.

Boosters have worked to recapture some of the lost grandeur. Downtown Lenoir, named for a Revolutionary War figure, is going through a revitalization. Clark, owner of the home furnishings store Rococo Rionel, and her family renovated a building from 1879. Cynthia Hicks, proprietor of Abigail's Gifts, is preparing to move into a new space near the revamped city square. Even the hardware store has added local crafts to attract new clientele.

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