OT: Amazon HQ2 - 20 Finalists

[RU_Planning]

NYC and Newark still in the mix.

https://www.amazon.com/b?node=17044620011


Atlanta, GA - Austin, TX - Boston, MA - Chicago, IL - Columbus, OH - Dallas, TX - Denver, CO - Indianapolis, IN - Los Angeles, CA - Miami, FL - Montgomery County, MD - Nashville, TN - Newark, NJ - New York City, NY - Northern Virginia, VA - Philadelphia, PA - Pittsburgh, PA - Raleigh, NC - Toronto, ON - Washington D.C.

 

[jordkap]

While NYC makes the most sense from a talent/population standpoint, I would guess it is much more likely to go a city that is growing rapidly with a lot of appeal to young professionals. Nashville, Denver, and Austin all come to mind.

 

[RUSK97]

I take it that NB got knocked out of the finalists?

 

[1873]

NYC and Newark still in the mix.

https://www.amazon.com/b?node=17044620011


Atlanta, GA - Austin, TX - Boston, MA - Chicago, IL - Columbus, OH - Dallas, TX - Denver, CO - Indianapolis, IN - Los Angeles, CA - Miami, FL - Montgomery County, MD - Nashville, TN - Newark, NJ - New York City, NY - Northern Virginia, VA - Philadelphia, PA - Pittsburgh, PA - Raleigh, NC - Toronto, ON - Washington D.C.

Eliminate all the high tax shitholes, so NC, TN, TX on the list with the rest placeholders.

 

[RU_Planning]

Eliminate all the high tax shitholes, so NC, TN, TX on the list with the rest placeholders.

While I've always thought Atlanta was the obvious choice, your comment shows you are a moron.

 

[T2Kplus10]

Could be a game-changer for Newark, which is in desperate need of help.

 

[RUfinal4]

Newark is already home to Amazon's Audible division.

I wonder if Amazon wants to be the big dog in the city it goes to. If they go to NYC they will be competing with all the big banks and other industries to be the big dog. in Newark you will have Amazon and Prudential as the 2 big dogs.

I think NYC is proposing Brooklyn as the preferred location which may not be the best.

Supposedly Boston is one of the leaders but the airport is not a hub. Austin and Atlanta are also rumored as leaders. Northern Va and Raleigh Durham are very interesting. Philly is also a good consideration but may have some of the issues you have in NYC where there are other big companies and the incentives may not be there.

I also wonder if some cities are on the list out of respect. NYC, LA, Chicago, Toronto, etc... are some of the largest cities in the Americas and I wonder if they are just there because they are large cities even though Amazon is probably not considering them leaders. Or maybe they are hoping they will revise their incentive offers to be more lucrative for Amazon.

 

[T2Kplus10]

Newark is already home to Amazon's Audible division.

I wonder if Amazon wants to be the big dog in the city it goes to. If they go to NYC they will be competing with all the big banks and other industries to be the big dog. in Newark you will have Amazon and Prudential as the 2 big dogs.

I think NYC is proposing Brooklyn as the preferred location which may not be the best.

Supposedly Boston is one of the leaders but the airport is not a hub. Austin and Atlanta are also rumored as leaders. Northern Va and Raleigh Durham are very interesting. Philly is also a good consideration but may have some of the issues you have in NYC where there are other big companies and the incentives may not be there.

I also wonder if some cities are on the list out of respect. NYC, LA, Chicago, Toronto, etc... are some of the largest cities in the Americas and I wonder if they are just there because they are large cities even though Amazon is probably not considering them leaders. Or maybe they are hoping they will revise their incentive offers to be more lucrative for Amazon.

Amazon would "own" Newark.....and EWR and by extension, United.

 

[ScarletKid2008]

I take it that NB got knocked out of the finalists?

Was wondering the same. Seems like it would be. Newark would be an interesting pick that could transform that city. The transportation to Newark is solid (although NJ transit is nearing joke status). It's probably a severe underdog. And I wouldn't understand why NYC would be a logical choice based on the extreme high costs and it doesn't fit the Amazon little city model that was produced in the Northwest.

I would guess its:
1. Atlanta
2. Atlanta
3. Austin, TX
4. Nashville, Raleigh, Chicago, Denver, MD, VA
5. Boston, Newark, DC, Phily, Pitt, Indianapolis, Toronto
6. LA, NYC, Columbus, Miami

 

[RUfinal4]

Amazon would "own" Newark.....and EWR and by extension, United.

I definitely agree. The impact will be more than just Newark.
- Harrison, West Orange, Livingston, and other neighboring towns will have greater demand for housing.

- Local stores will see an uptick in sales (esp. food places)

-Amazon will probably insist on mass transit improvements which will benefit most of North and Central NJ.

The key would be that we hope they will hire many of the new employees locally. Those who work for other retailers (ie. Toys R Us in Wayne, Bed Bath Beyond in Union, Vitamin Shoppe / Children's Place in Secaucus, and the NYC based retailers) will hopefully be considered for employment at Amazon. Otherwise you may see a lot of experienced retail home office people out of jobs if their current companies fail and Amazon decides to import workers from other parts of the country / world.

 

[superfan01]

Would think the favorites are northern Virginia or Maryland.

 

[RUBOB72]

RUfinal4...you forgot to mention the mass migration of people buying up REIT’s in East Orange ,Orange and Irvington...remember these 3 towns have the highest percentage of single people living in them according to the Star Ledger...sounds like all New Jersey’s bad days are behind us.

 

[Beancounter88]

I have heard geography (far enough from Seattle), access to transportation, and recruiting tech talent are key factors. NJ offered $7B in tax incentives which levels the playing field a little. My guess of serious contenders would include Atlanta, Philly, Va. - far from Seattle, big airports, good talent nearby.

I think Austin has been overhyped to some extent - airport not huge, talent not great.

I think the 2 darkhorses are Newark and Pittsburgh. Newark has big airport (and huge seaport) and access to talent. Pitt has become a tech center with Carnegie Mellon and Google has big campus there; airport not major though.

 

[RUfinal4]

I have heard geography (far enough from Seattle), access to transportation, and recruiting tech talent are key factors. NJ offered $7B in tax incentives which levels the playing field a little. My guess of serious contenders would include Atlanta, Philly, Va. - far from Seattle, big airports, good talent nearby.

I think Austin has been overhyped to some extent - airport not huge, talent not great.

I think the 2 darkhorses are Newark and Pittsburgh. Newark has big airport (and huge seaport) and access to talent. Pitt has become a tech center with Carnegie Mellon and Google has big campus there; airport not major though.

Newark is also an extension of NYC. If Amazon is considering the NYC area as one of their 5-6 finalists then Newark will make it to the next round.

My guess for the next round:
Boston
Atlanta
N. Va
Raleigh
Newark
Pittsburgh

I think DC, Philly, and NYC fall off but may still get satellite offices if Newark or N. Va is chosen.

My guess for final 3:
Boston, Atlanta, and Newark

 

[BigLou]

If Bezos wants to remain consistent with his political beliefs, the issue of high taxes should not factor into it.
I would hope that he will choose a city that could really benefit from such a facility. Newark would be a great choice. It meets all of the criteria and would really complete the comeback of the city.

 

[RUSONIC]

Please let it be Newark so the value of my house goes up and I can get out of this **** hole state.

 

[RUBOB72]

Newark will win this in the end... Ras and Corey have partnered up bigtime to make it happen... It is the next Atlanta / Austin... we have so much more to offer in New Jersey ... our public figures know how to make a deal you can’t refuse...Murphy will go down as a great leader...Just updated ... Newark is in the final...

 

[redlinehw]

Newark is not winning unless Bezos goes ultra liberal, white knight route to save downtrodden city to the detriment of his company.

the finalist will be Northern Va & Atlanta

 

[RUschool]

The best and the brightest are in the NYC metro area.

 

[Rokodesh]

Nobody wants to spend 1 more second than they have to in Newark. I'm sure all the tech nerds will love spending their time in the crackhead Mecca of Newark Penn Station, which is already at 300% capacity on an average workday, and 50% functionality. Or worse, they'll commute by car, which the roads already can't handle.

No chance Amazon picks that dump

 

[anon1763923992]

Newark is not winning unless Bezos goes ultra liberal, white knight route to save downtrodden city to the detriment of his company.

the finalist will be Northern Va & Atlanta

Dallas.

Don’t be surprised if they choose two cities.

 

[RUnTeX]

Newark is the smallest jurisdiction by population (probably also by land area) of the finalists but that is just a technicality as a vote for Newark is essentially northern NJ at a regional level. Where in Newark was it proposed?

 

[TonyLieske]

Nobody wants to spend 1 more second than they have to in Newark. I'm sure all the tech nerds will love spending their time in the crackhead Mecca of Newark Penn Station, which is already at 300% capacity on an average workday, and 50% functionality. Or worse, they'll commute by car, which the roads already can't handle.

No chance Amazon picks that dump

Someone may have already mentioned this, but isn't Amazon's Audible division already based in Newark? I mean, I don't think Newark wins the HQ2 bid but to paint it as some untouchable place Amazon would never even consider is silly...they are already there.

 

[redlinehw]

Someone may have already mentioned this, but isn't Amazon's Audible division already based in Newark? I mean, I don't think Newark wins the HQ2 bid but to paint it as some untouchable place Amazon would never even consider is silly...they are already there.

Audible currently has approx 100,000 sf of space in Newark and may be looking for as much as 300,000 sf in Newark for future expansion

 

[redlinehw]

Newark is the smallest jurisdiction by population (probably also by land area) of the finalists but that is just a technicality as a vote for Newark is essentially northern NJ at a regional level. Where in Newark was it proposed?

Multiple sites including areas along the river; city hall area, Penn Station area; and Broad Street station area

 

[KeithK7624]

I'll go with Raleigh. Low cost center and a hot bed for talent as Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, NC State are in the triangle. Plus there are a log of new business parks and is quietly becoming a tech hub.

 

[RUschool]

I'll go with Raleigh. Low cost center and a hot bed for talent as Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, NC State are in the triangle. Plus there are a log of new business parks and is quietly becoming a tech hub.

What about being liberal? Something about bathrooms? The tech companies hated the controversy.

 

[RUBOB72]

Newark logistically and from an investment position lends itself to be in it all the way... I don’t know about Bezos ( pretty ultra liberal already)... this N.Y. Metro area still blows away the others based upon population density and amount of disposable income...It’s all about logistics , density of population and people’s spending habits... deep water port... air and rail lines with upgrades in the works... plus a very diverse population which makes this a tough choice to turn down even for Amazon...

 

[RUnTeX]

Wake Forest

Is in Winston-Salem which is not in the triangle.

But I think that Raleigh is a dark horse.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Amazon already has a headquarters in Newark with Audible:

"The vision behind the move was to try to combine a missionary, disruptive, technology-driven company with Newark's transformation. I consider the Newark move one of the best decisions we've made as a company."
DONALD KATZ | AUDIBLE FOUNDER & CEO

Audible, owned by Amazon Inc., has the largest catalog of audio books in the world.

 

[RUnTeX]

Multiple sites including areas along the river; city hall area, Penn Station area; and Broad Street station area

Thanks. I wonder if the fact that it can't be built out as a quasi-contiguous campus in Newark make it less desirable from Amazon's point of view.

 

[RUBOB72]

There is more talent and tech savvy people in this tri state area than Raleigh / Durham...being next to the financial capital of the World wil not hurt Newark’s chances...techies can always move to the area which will pay them more... talent flow will not be an issue...

 

[RUBOB72]

Oh and from an educational standpoint ...New Jersey #2 in education in USA ...leading Universities in 35-40 mile radius of Newark which are the equal or superior overall to those in Raleigh area...

 

[redlinehw]

Newark logistically and from an investment position lends itself to be in it all the way... I don’t know about Bezos ( pretty ultra liberal already)... this N.Y. Metro area still blows away the others based upon population density and amount of disposable income...It’s all about logistics , density of population and people’s spending habits... deep water port... air and rail lines with upgrades in the works... plus a very diverse population which makes this a tough choice to turn down even for Amazon...[/QUOTE}


No - it about the ability to attract and keep the most talented employees. IMO -Housing costs and taxes in NJ without other attractions to make it desirable for the targeted talent type make Newark unattractive relative to other areas considered.

 

[RU_Planning]

This is on the Amazon about page.

"Several years ago we outgrew our space and we made a conscious choice to invest in downtown Seattle—even though it would have been cheaper to move to the suburbs. We now employ more than 40,000 people in Seattle who come from all around the world. Our employees tell us that they love being in the heart of the city. In fact, about 15% live in the same zip code as their office and about 20% walk to work. And they frequent the restaurants, food trucks and shops that have popped up all around South Lake Union, the neighborhood in Seattle we call home."

https://www.amazon.com/p/feature/4kc8ovgnyf996yn

 

[PRH_RU]

What about being liberal? Something about bathrooms? The tech companies hated the controversy.

That is over

 

[RU to the Core]

Newark is an interesting chiloice but won’t get it. Probabaly someplace around DC or Atlanta.

I moved to Pittsburgh last year and the city is a buzz with the Amazon news. Carnegie Mellon is extremely impressive and Pitt is no slouch in tech either considering it’s across the street from the best computer science school in the country.

Google has a big office here and so does Uber. Apple, Facebook and Amazon are also already in Pittsburgh but just with a small very tech heavy presence.

Also there are 5 self driving car companies here and it’s wacky seeing the various cars zipping around the Pittsburgh streets.

With that being said. Pittsburgh will probabaly make the top 5 but won’t get it.

 

[G-Bake]

Columbus is a sneaky candidate. It wouldn't surprise me if it's not one of the top choices. Very young and rapidly growing city with an enormous state university and relatively low cost of living. It'd absolutely be an attractive city for young talent. Fun fact - more than 50% of the country's population lives within 500 miles of the city.

The small airport is a downside but I don't see why that can't be expanded.

 

[RU2055]

The city that gives Bezos the biggest corporate tax break will get it.

 

[jorand]

Newark logistically and from an investment position lends itself to be in it all the way... I don’t know about Bezos ( pretty ultra liberal already)... this N.Y. Metro area still blows away the others based upon population density and amount of disposable income...It’s all about logistics , density of population and people’s spending habits... deep water port... air and rail lines with upgrades in the works... plus a very diverse population which makes this a tough choice to turn down even for Amazon...

Based off your criteria it's either Newark/NYC or the DC-area.

Now watch it be neither one.