Could the Denver metro be the home of the new Amazon HQ2? (property taxes, live)

[MN_Ski]

Looking at salaries Vs COL, Denver is considered one of the "worst deals" for cities in the country (digging for the study now)...although, someone who cashed out of their coastal home and works remotely for a SV company will tell you otherwise.

And that is fine, because people are willing to pay a price for the type of lifestyle it provides.

Amazon admitted it outgrew Seattle (a population with 3.8 million people) with 40,000 employees. So is Amazon really going to want more of the same by bringing 50,000 jobs to a metro with only 2.7 million people? Even looking outside of Seattle, Amazon can attract talent from nearby Vancouver and Portland...Denver is an island, and although it can attract educated workers, I just don't see the area being big enough to pull that kind of workforce. Do you really think Amazon is going to want to pay relocation for tens of thousands of employees every year?...also keep in mind the average turn over rate of Amazon in 1 year, so whenever someone bails, it's another relocation cost.

The only reason Amazon stated "Metro of at least 1 million" was because it wanted the largest amount of publicity it could receive. Notice how Amazon dominated the headlines for a few weeks?

If it really came down to things like transit, lifestyle, COL, they would have already picked Denver. People are acting like Amazon had no idea where Denver is, and that if it wasn't for that NYT article, no one would know what the city offers (remember they just opened a distribution center here).

This is all a publicity stunt, and they want to see what their shortlist of cities can offer when they are fighting neck and neck with each other.

Sorry for being so cynical about this, and sure, I really don't know anything more than anyone else. It is just annoying how everyone is falling for this "wooing" stunt, and pretending that we should be soooo grateful we are allowed to give them a "deal".

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

It's not like Amazon is going to ask Alexa to create 50,000 jobs overnight. It'll take them at minimum a few years to ramp up to full capacity.

If they did, Alexa would say "I'm sorry, I didn't get that". Or, maybe that's just at my house when my 7 year old is asking her questions.

I think Denver has a pretty good shot, though I will say many of the recent posts on this thread raise valid negatives. I think Boston and Atlanta might be the top contenders.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

If they did, Alexa would say "I'm sorry, I didn't get that". Or, maybe that's just at my house when my 7 year old is asking her questions.

I think Denver has a pretty good shot, though I will say many of the recent posts on this thread raise valid negatives. I think Boston and Atlanta might be the top contenders.

I think Philadelphia has a very strong chance. They've got some available well located land already in preliminary development (right near their main train station), decent public transport, lots of great colleges, large metro tri-state area employment market, quick and easy access to both NYC and DC.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by emm74

I think Philadelphia has a very strong chance. They've got some available well located land already in preliminary development (right near their main train station), decent public transport, lots of great colleges, large metro tri-state area employment market, quick and easy access to both NYC and DC.

Possible. I think the pros that Boston and Philly have are almost the same (the ones you outline above), which makes them almost interchangeable for this discussion (and that seems almost awful to say considering how important these two cities have been in our nation's history).

[davidv]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

Looking at salaries Vs COL, Denver is considered one of the "worst deals" for cities in the country (digging for the study now)...although, someone who cashed out of their coastal home and works remotely for a SV company will tell you otherwise.

And that is fine, because people are willing to pay a price for the type of lifestyle it provides.

Amazon admitted it outgrew Seattle (a population with 3.8 million people) with 40,000 employees. So is Amazon really going to want more of the same by bringing 50,000 jobs to a metro with only 2.7 million people? Even looking outside of Seattle, Amazon can attract talent from nearby Vancouver and Portland...Denver is an island, and although it can attract educated workers, I just don't see the area being big enough to pull that kind of workforce. Do you really think Amazon is going to want to pay relocation for tens of thousands of employees every year?...also keep in mind the average turn over rate of Amazon in 1 year, so whenever someone bails, it's another relocation cost.

The only reason Amazon stated "Metro of at least 1 million" was because it wanted the largest amount of publicity it could receive. Notice how Amazon dominated the headlines for a few weeks?

If it really came down to things like transit, lifestyle, COL, they would have already picked Denver. People are acting like Amazon had no idea where Denver is, and that if it wasn't for that NYT article, no one would know what the city offers (remember they just opened a distribution center here).

This is all a publicity stunt, and they want to see what their shortlist of cities can offer when they are fighting neck and neck with each other.

Sorry for being so cynical about this, and sure, I really don't know anything more than anyone else. It is just annoying how everyone is falling for this "wooing" stunt, and pretending that we should be soooo grateful we are allowed to give them a "deal".

I read a different article from a Canadian source that puts Denver and Calgary as front runners.

I think Amazon has a short list (and that Denver is on it) of cities that it finds acceptable. This bid process is to see what incentives it can wring out of cities on this list before a decision is made. No small city (like Oklahoma City or Cincinnatti is going to swoop in and steal it away no matter how good their deal is.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

Possible. I think the pros that Boston and Philly have are almost the same (the ones you outline above), which makes them almost interchangeable for this discussion (and that seems almost awful to say considering how important these two cities have been in our nation's history).

Philly has a better location (in terms of convenience to DC and NYC) and it's significantly less expensive than Boston, which I think gives it the edge unless Amazon has a specific preference for Boston which has been claimed.

Of course, this conversation makes me feel like a mother having to say which of her two children she prefers because I went to college in Philadelphia and then law and grad school in Boston and I love both cities! Ended up living in Boston for almost 25 years, but only because it was an easier transition from law school. If I had gone to law school in Philly, I expect I would have ended up there instead.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by davidv

I read a different article from a Canadian source that puts Denver and Calgary as front runners.

I think Amazon has a short list (and that Denver is on it) of cities that it finds acceptable. This bid process is to see what incentives it can wring out of cities on this list before a decision is made. No small city (like Oklahoma City or Cincinnatti is going to swoop in and steal it away no matter how good their deal is.

I'm very skeptical that they will go outside the US. The logistics of managing taxes in two countries with joint headquarters would absorb a not insignificant percentage of the 50,000 planned employees!

[High Altitude]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

Looking at salaries Vs COL, Denver is considered one of the "worst deals" for cities in the country (digging for the study now)...although, someone who cashed out of their coastal home and works remotely for a SV company will tell you otherwise.

And that is fine, because people are willing to pay a price for the type of lifestyle it provides.

Amazon admitted it outgrew Seattle (a population with 3.8 million people) with 40,000 employees. So is Amazon really going to want more of the same by bringing 50,000 jobs to a metro with only 2.7 million people? Even looking outside of Seattle, Amazon can attract talent from nearby Vancouver and Portland...Denver is an island, and although it can attract educated workers, I just don't see the area being big enough to pull that kind of workforce. Do you really think Amazon is going to want to pay relocation for tens of thousands of employees every year?...also keep in mind the average turn over rate of Amazon in 1 year, so whenever someone bails, it's another relocation cost.

The only reason Amazon stated "Metro of at least 1 million" was because it wanted the largest amount of publicity it could receive. Notice how Amazon dominated the headlines for a few weeks?

If it really came down to things like transit, lifestyle, COL, they would have already picked Denver. People are acting like Amazon had no idea where Denver is, and that if it wasn't for that NYT article, no one would know what the city offers (remember they just opened a distribution center here).

This is all a publicity stunt, and they want to see what their shortlist of cities can offer when they are fighting neck and neck with each other.

Sorry for being so cynical about this, and sure, I really don't know anything more than anyone else. It is just annoying how everyone is falling for this "wooing" stunt, and pretending that we should be soooo grateful we are allowed to give them a "deal".

I agree 100%. Amazon already knows where they are going, they just want to negotiate the best deal.

I believe Amazon will go for a much larger city than Denver.

[daprara]

yes i read in the NYT that Denver was highly rated for the old storage tech site.

good point, likely there are several negotiations in several cities, multiple teams of Amazon doint the work.

[mhays25]

Amazon didn't outgrow Seattle with 40,000 employees. They've already said they'll soon have 60,000. Millions of square feet of offices are underway including some major towers. But they need to grow way beyond that.