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Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

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Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#21
post #5

I hope they pick Atlanta but I doubt techies want to live in the South.

Started out my career during the dot-com boom in Atlanta. The only reasons I left were proximity to family, and the traffic problem.

Also, the "I'm not quite going to snow, so have some 35-degree rain" or "Hey, how about an ice storm?" winter weather.

Never really had much of a problem finding a gig down there.

Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#22

Crazy not to add NYC to the list. Huge Google office there now, Facebook growing. Would be a good fit.

Cost of living and unwillingness to bend over backwards for tax breaks take NYC out of the running. I think their list -- Toronto, Boston, Washington, Atlanta, Dallas or Denver -- is pretty decent though Washington and Toronto seem less likely than the others (COLA and ex-US respectively).

Except for being unwilling/unable to offer very high tax breaks, Chicago would be right up there too. But I have to imagine that's going to be a very significant factor.

Other long shot, but still plausible, cities are: Las Vegas, Charlotte, Detroit, and Minneapolis.

Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#23

I think Philadelphia is a good choice. Center City is a 30 minute drive to Philly international airport. Land is relatively cheap, much cheaper than NYC, Boston, or dc. We have an ivy league school in the city, with another less than an hour away, as well as many other schools in the area. We have a large metro population with a good size technical and business industry already. We also have rail and sea shipping ava…

I don't understand how Philadelphia is not near the top of the list. The cost of living is way lower then any other top 10 metro area, There is a huge local talent base, and lots of highly ranked feeder schools.

Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#24

I think Philadelphia is a good choice. Center City is a 30 minute drive to Philly international airport. Land is relatively cheap, much cheaper than NYC, Boston, or dc. We have an ivy league school in the city, with another less than an hour away, as well as many other schools in the area. We have a large metro population with a good size technical and business industry already. We also have rail and sea shipping ava…

And if Amazon attracts enough talent to turn Philly into a tech hub then PA will have all the same "one city runs the show and the rest of the state resents them" dynamic that NY and IL do.

It's probably still a win for Philly though.

Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#25
post #5

I hope they pick Atlanta but I doubt techies want to live in the South.

I'd think the massive calamity known as Atlanta traffic would be more off-putting than "living in the South". I know I'd love to find someplace warmer to live.

You might change your mind after spending a couple of summers here. ACs run 24/7. But 1" of snow sends everyone home - to clean grocery stores out of milk and bread.

Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#26

Crazy not to add NYC to the list. Huge Google office there now, Facebook growing. Would be a good fit.

Amazon seem to be looking for a well-functioning city with a lot to offer in the way of workforce and amenities, but they also really don't want to pay the top dollar it takes to locate and hire in places like SF and NYC. That means they need a second-tier center of some sort.

Atlanta has been proposed several times.

Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#27
post #5

I hope they pick Atlanta but I doubt techies want to live in the South.

I'd think the massive calamity known as Atlanta traffic would be more off-putting than "living in the South". I know I'd love to find someplace warmer to live.

Just shove it all in midtown.

Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#29

The Twin Cities are looking at courting Amazon for this. IMO, Minneapolis would be a great location for it. We fit the RFP criteria.

Yeah, the article doesn't address the Twin Cities, but it meets his criteria:

- 3.5M metro area population

- Very high education levels

- Diverse population protected by strong civil rights

- Major international airport (Delta hub; 16th largest in the US)

- Very affordable

- Large business community already (Cargill, Target, Best Buy, major Wells Fargo office, etc.)

On the negatives, it is growing slower than other metros and the weather will be a turn off.

Honestly, I think Amazon has a pretty good idea of where they want their new HQ to be. They are using this process to extract concessions.

Re: Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters

#30
post #5

I hope they pick Atlanta but I doubt techies want to live in the South.

A lot of techies already do.

I went through Alpharetta with a friend once and saw all the expensive cars and jerk drivers. I thought it must be what living in Silicon Valley is like.
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