Amazon solicits bids from North American cities for a second HQ (Columbus: fit in, house)

[motorman]

At this early stage of the game, anyone who can construct a coherent English sentence can sound off why their city should win Amazon's HQ2 game, including Cleveland homers. However, why do this to yourselves? My suggestion is that you guys stop guzzling all that Cleveland Kool-Aid, lay aside your RNC memorabilia that has you believing anything is possible - and face reality. As a stand alone city, Cleveland can forget it. Even King James can't win this one.

If Ohio ever dreams of corralling Bezos' "Golden Calf," it must accomplish one of two things: either conjure up a way to magically meld Cincinnati and Columbus into one metro; or encourage Cleveland to cross state lines, romance Pittsburgh and arrange the marriage of the century.

Since all the shamans on the planet can't make either of these two things occur, let's all just sit back, relax and reach for things obtainable in this world, rather than in some alternate universe.

BTW, before you shoot the messenger, know that he doesn't think Cincinnati or Columbus stand a chance either.

[ZnGuy]

my bet is it will be in the growing Sunbelt. Charlotte would be good spot if I was a betting man..

[Bilbono]

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/07/here...dquarters.html

Well, according to this, Cleveland and Pittsburgh aren't even in the running. I still think we'd be a great choice, with our comparatively cheap land and a housing infrastructure that's just begging to be revitalized. It would be relatively inexpensive to plop an entire industry near downtown. And our world class healthcare, symphony, theater, and parks system are pluses, as well as our professional sports teams.

[j_ws]

I could see Philadelphia having a strong shot. It has all of the strengths of comparable major cities but is still relatively cheap when compared to its peers. I'd love to see Cleveland had a chance but as much as I love the city, we're probably the fourth or fifth tier in this competition.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by Losfrisco

I'm giving Pittsburgh the best chance of any city in the eastern United States.

The only thing it has going for it is an educated population. Otherwise, it's stagnant, it's not really known for its distribution capacity, its airport is nothing special, transit is not that great, it has one of the least diverse populations of any city in the country, etc. All of those things were mentioned as to things Amazon is looking for. If anything, I think it has the LEAST chance of those cities mentioned, and probably one of the lowest nationally.


I gave it some thought, and having a 2nd HQ in the West when there is already Seattle doesn't make sense. I think this is going either near/east of the Mississippi or Texas. So cities like Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, etc. Apparently, there is some discord between NC and Jeff Bezos, so I doubt it goes to cities like Charlotte or Raleigh. In the Midwest, probably only Minneapolis and Chicago have a chance, with a much lesser degree in Detroit. Growing cities like Indianapolis and Columbus have poor transit and too small international airports. I can't really see it going anywhere in the Northeast. Maybe Washington, DC?

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by ZnGuy

my bet is it will be in the growing Sunbelt. Charlotte would be good spot if I was a betting man..

I've read some things where Bezos and NC don't get along very well. Part of that seems to stem from NC's very regressive social policies of recent years. That would seem to suggest it is off the table.

[costello_musicman]

This bigger list still has Cleveland and Cincy:


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.25688784b43e

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

I've read some things where Bezos and NC don't get along very well. Part of that seems to stem from NC's very regressive social policies of recent years. That would seem to suggest it is off the table.

I was thinking a place like Charlotte NC because of its growth and airport; forgot about NC and its issues related to social policies. Deal killer most likely...but even the biggest liberal can fold for $$.

If Amazon is supposed to be such a great liberal, do-gooding company, it should put the 2nd HDQs in Detroit, but it won't; Detroit Metro Airport is there though and airline service is a key component.

[jbcmh81]

I'm sure every major Ohio city is clamoring to put an incentives package together (like every other US major city). Here's how I see it in terms of strengths and weaknesses against the 3-Cs.


Cleveland
Pros: Diverse population, cheap COL, cheap land, a history of being able to get big projects done, decent cultural amenities, good location relative to US population.
Cons: Falling population, not particularly well-educated compared to peers, no particularly strong tech workforce, transit exists but may not be extensive enough, too small of an airport.

Cincinnati
Pros: Cheap COL, cheap land, growing region, fairly strong economy, good location relative to US population, nice historic neighborhoods.
Cons: Bad transit, too small of an airport, lacking much diversity and not strong growth in those demographics, middle-range educated population.

Columbus
Pros: Cheap COL, cheap land, growing region, quickly growing diversity, strong economy, strong educational presence, strong distribution capabilities, good location relative to US population.
Cons: Bad transit, too small of an airport, may not be diverse enough for the requirement, may be too small of an urban area.


The biggest flaws with each is the small airport and bad transit. Proximity to large US cities can make up for the bad airports to some degree, but transit is an obvious issue. I also don't think any of them provide the type of amenities that would be attractive to that type of company. I guess we'll see.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by motorman

At this early stage of the game, anyone who can construct a coherent English sentence can sound off why their city should win Amazon's HQ2 game, including Cleveland homers. However, why do this to yourselves? My suggestion is that you guys stop guzzling all that Cleveland Kool-Aid, lay aside your RNC memorabilia that has you believing anything is possible - and face reality. As a stand alone city, Cleveland can forget it. Even King James can't win this one.

If Ohio ever dreams of corralling Bezos' "Golden Calf," it must accomplish one of two things: either conjure up a way to magically meld Cincinnati and Columbus into one metro; or encourage Cleveland to cross state lines, romance Pittsburgh and arrange the marriage of the century.

Since all the shamans on the planet can't make either of these two things occur, let's all just sit back, relax and reach for things obtainable in this world, rather than in some alternate universe.

BTW, before you shoot the messenger, know that he doesn't think Cincinnati or Columbus stand a chance either.

Thanks for chiming-in and sharing from Cinci.

I guess since the topic isn't even being discussed down there, which actually says a lot about CIN, you're compelled to quash the topic in CLE. Most decent cities are at least having a conversation about this.

Surprised no one down there is thinking the ''streetcar'' will seal the Amazon HDQ deal.

You would know all about disappointment though since you were the one convinced CIN was getting the RNC due to your insider knowledge of the ''Republican power-players'' in CIN; then along came your U.S. Tanked Arena that killed that despite these ''political powers'' you were in on. You need to recharge your crystal ball after that one, also known as - you have no credibility...

Funny you had to mention the RNC and LeBron James...but that's right, CIN isn't jealous about CLE getting any attention...lol. Go and ride your streetcar, it needs the business.