Please don't come to Austin. There are enough of us new people here.
Would love to have Amazon here but Austin badly needs infrastructure.
I would hate to have amazon here. I don't need my rent to go up or my commute to get longer.
Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
191–200 of 747 posts
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#192Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree. Nobody seriously thinks they are going to pick Miami.
I'd be willing to bet that Miami is a favorite amongst at least a couple of people actually making the decision. Miami is the capitol of and gateway to Latin America, and Latin America has enormous potential for growth of ecommerce.
The thing about software is that you don't have to be physically near the markets you serve. Writing software in Miami would provide zero advantage for serving this market.
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#193After reading these comments it makes me realize just how limiting transportation is and how big of a drag it is. Austin/Boston/DC/Atlanta/Denver/others are all great locations with transportation issues. Even some of the more rural locations such as RDU would quickly fill up with 50k new tech workers join the existing the two-lane highways. It seems like the best solution currently is the Apple/Google wifi buse with…
This is why I'm hoping it doesn't end up in Boston proper. Traffic is already unbearable for a large chunk of the state during rush hours.
I'm not even sure how Boston wound up in the running.
I love the city, but it's experiencing a biotech boom and already has crazy expensive real estate, issues with crowding/traffic, all that jazz. The city would HATE it, even more than Seattle did. And let me tell you, the ostracization in Seattle is extremely painful. I don't think it would turn out to be a good working environment.
I guess it has a lot of educational institutions, but honestly, in its position, I'd sort of expect a company like Amazon to want to start getting more involved in educational outreach themselves.
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#194After reading these comments it makes me realize just how limiting transportation is and how big of a drag it is. Austin/Boston/DC/Atlanta/Denver/others are all great locations with transportation issues. Even some of the more rural locations such as RDU would quickly fill up with 50k new tech workers join the existing the two-lane highways. It seems like the best solution currently is the Apple/Google wifi buse with…
This is why I'm hoping it doesn't end up in Boston proper. Traffic is already unbearable for a large chunk of the state during rush hours.
Amazonians are already used to traffic :p
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#195on realpolitik grounds, Indianapolis would be a fascinating choice.
The main problem with some of these cities, Indianapolis in particular, is that it might be hard to attract software developers to go live there. Even though the dollar goes farther in Indianapolis, after adjusting for cost of living, you would still need to add a bonus to entice developers to live there rather than Seattle. I grew up near Indianapolis and I certainly would not live there over Seattle, for political/cultural preferences that in my experience most developers share with me
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#196Nice to see Toronto on the list, though game theory suggest that we're only here because having a Canadian Candidate has the potential to have all 3 levels of government involved rather than just state and city. I'm not really sure how to go about handicapping the finalists. Given the current political climate, Toronto is interesting because it's the only city that gives Amazon some escape form the US government. You…
>- land in the downtown core to build on, this might eliminate New York?
They could rent out the space in One World Trade Center.
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#197Three candidate cities are in the same metro area (DC). * Montgomery county, MD * Northern Virginia * Washington DC
Same metro area.. totally different politics, rules, and regulations.
And there you have it. Northern Virginia will win this hands down if it's up against neighboring Montgomery County (which is where I live). Northern VA wins in infrastructure, existing tech culture, housing, and transportation options. But, the primary reason is that Montgomery County politics will never bend to accommodate Amazon in a competitive situation like this, and it's been that way for 30 years.
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe they can finish the PATH connection to the airport. 2.4 miles: http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2017/12/a_timeline_chartin...
You can already get from Newark Penn to the airport using NJ Transit. It isn't a terrible idea to bring the PATH there so there's a single seat ride from places that PATH services but NJ transit doesn't, but that doesn't apply to Newark.
Yes, I wait to transfer and pay again.
The PATH is cheaper, runs more frequently, makes several more stops in Manhattan and NJ, so it would be a better option.
If you want to go downtown, for example, the PATH goes to WTC, as well as midtown.
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#199Nice to see Toronto on the list, though game theory suggest that we're only here because having a Canadian Candidate has the potential to have all 3 levels of government involved rather than just state and city. I'm not really sure how to go about handicapping the finalists. Given the current political climate, Toronto is interesting because it's the only city that gives Amazon some escape form the US government. You…
Denver appears to be the current favourite (also chosen by the NYT as the winner) but doesn't have any flights to Asia except for Tokyo[1]. But I guess being sufficiently connected within the US is enough, not sure how many flights to China they need. [1] https://www.flightera.net/airport/Denver/KDEN
Denver's airport is one of the biggest airports[1]. When I first moved to Denver in 2014, they didn't have a flight to India. In 2015 they announced a _direct_ flight to Banglore, India. My point being not having a flight is not really a roadblock.
[1]https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/denver-inte...
Re: Amazon announces candidate cities for HQ2
#200Nice to see Toronto on the list, though game theory suggest that we're only here because having a Canadian Candidate has the potential to have all 3 levels of government involved rather than just state and city. I'm not really sure how to go about handicapping the finalists. Given the current political climate, Toronto is interesting because it's the only city that gives Amazon some escape form the US government. You…
>- land in the downtown core to build on, this might eliminate New York? They could rent out the space in One World Trade Center.
Is it fairly vacant?