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Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

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Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#471

Post by drumttocs8 »

leggomylibro wrote: post #242
BatFastard wrote: post #226

Come to Atlanta! Great schools, great weather, downtown is under utilized, decent mass transit. One of the fastest grow tech locations in the country. We offer, no hurricanes, no earthquakes, no tidal waves, no forest fires, no flooding, and once every 10 year snow storms. We are on the opposite coast which protects you from N Korean actions. Plus you can fly anywhere from our airport!

What about Chattanooga? It's in the same area with a rapidly-growing startup/tech scene, but it has gigabit municipal internet and a slightly cooler climate.

They recently put a giant fulfillment center in Chattanooga- which really would make Atlanta an even better choice for HQ2

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#472

Post by logfromblammo »

strange_quark wrote: post #450
midnitewarrior wrote: post #419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody's going to Chicago. The state government is in shambles, and taxes are going way up. The state is flirting with insolvency. Boston and NYC are all developed expensive. Atlanta still has undeveloped area inside the city limits or old industrial areas that can be removed and replaced. Chattanooga wouldn't work because they want an international airport and major university. Atlanta has the world's busiest airpor…

Maybe I'm biased because I live here, but Chicago seems like a complete slam dunk for Amazon. We've got: good public transit, plenty of space for development, an educated workforce with a a decently sized tech talent pool already developed, easy draw from Big 10 schools and the University of Chicago, and a (relatively) low cost of living when compared to comparable cities. Yes, the state and city have financial probl…

Also, the blatant trolling for big bribes would fit right in with the local political culture.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#473

Post by logfromblammo »

midnitewarrior wrote: post #442
mrep wrote: post #437

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody's going to Chicago. Maybe nobody you know is going to chicago but 75% of my friends from the midwest have all congregated to chicago. I moved out west for the better tech jobs but I would instantly jump on the chance to move back to chicago to be close to friends and family.

I meant companies. They are going to steer clear of Illinois. Illinois is at the start of an economic death spiral. Roads are hugely underfunded. State workers' pensions are extremely underfunded, as in, state taxes are going to have to increase significantly beyond the tax increase passed this year for them to not default on their obligations and their other loan payments. Once they default on their loan payments, I…

They could always set up in Gary in Indiana or Kenosha in Wisconsin. Metra commuter rail goes out that far, so anyone wanting to live in Illinois proper could do so and commute outward instead of in.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#474

Post by mncolinlee »

Animats wrote: post #367

OK, what are the options? Here's the list of the top 50 North American metro areas over the desired 1,000,000 population.[1] This gets down to the Nashville, TN area, at 1.8 million, so it's not the full list. Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba are probably out, both for political reasons and being islands. Mexico is probably out given the current administration's positions. San Juan is on an island and too remo…

I've only seen Minneapolis really snowbound maybe once in my career. We just work from home when it happens.

Also, the city has the most sophisticated snow removal in the western world. Both downtowns have extensive skyway systems to avoid walking outside.

The Twin Cities have 18 Fortune 500s to draw talent from. Meanwhile, Saint Paul has recently opened up a ton of prime commercial real estate at the Ford plant site (130 acres), Arden Hills armory site (>400 acres), Hillcrest Golf Club (110 acres), and the old EcoLab, Cray, and Gander Mountain buildings in the skyway system.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#475

Post by mncolinlee »

logfromblammo wrote: post #345
vadym909 wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. Atlanta is a great choice.

Except that I want to live in Atlanta even less than I want to live in Seattle. It has a kind of psychic oppression field over it that makes me want to immediately turn around and leave. Atlanta looks good on paper. It always does. But actually being in the city tells me a different story. That said, I think only Atlanta, NYC, Chicago, or Boston could absorb the extra demand for skilled employees without sucking the…

> That said, I think only ... could absorb the extra demand for skilled employees without sucking the wind out of the other local businesses' sails.

This is a bad thing? Wouldn't that work in favor of Minneapolis-St. Paul where they would outbid their top retail competitors for tech talent?

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#477

Post by aknosis »

Animats wrote: post #367

OK, what are the options? Here's the list of the top 50 North American metro areas over the desired 1,000,000 population.[1] This gets down to the Nashville, TN area, at 1.8 million, so it's not the full list. Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba are probably out, both for political reasons and being islands. Mexico is probably out given the current administration's positions. San Juan is on an island and too remo…

Phoenix does not qualify the mass transit requirement in any way shape or form. Public transit here is shit.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#478

Post by tinduck »

nugget wrote: post #266
grecy wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We spend more on both per capita than any other nation on earth. Why are there tens of millions that can't afford higher education? Why are people going bankrupt from health expenses? The USA is just really bad at it. Therefore you need to spend more money just to come up to par with other developed countries. In that case, you need more tax revenue.

> Why are there tens of millions that can't afford higher education? Tuition at the highly-rated community college near my house is $1,500 per semester. It's expensive to go away to a residential 4 year private university, but there are many other options out there.

Except the federal government pumps money into those AAU universities in research grants, therefore they are more prestigious and have better job prospects after you graduate.

The system is stupid. But it won't change. You won't see the public university in Memphis or Baltimore get more money federal money than a school like Stanford.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#479

Post by ceedan »

conanbatt wrote: post #385
ceedan wrote: post #231

Amazon making corporate welfare so sexy. Make those cities beg for it Jeff. Make 'em fight each other for it Jeff. Jeff, they want you and that hot HQ2 so bad. sigh

You are not the city you live in.

Some of my tax dollars go to the city I live in.
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