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It seems to me that the article is just taking an educated guess (just like most of the others). However, I also think you and some others are overestimating the housing costs and cost of living as an issue - we are talking about Amazon Headquarters - for most who will be working there, cost of housing is a non-issue. If anything knocks those cities out as the front runners, it will be an unwillingness to offer massive incentives that some other cities have.
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It seems to me that the article is just taking an educated guess (just like most of the others). However, I also think you and some others are overestimating the housing costs and cost of living as an issue - we are talking about Amazon Headquarters - for most who will be working there, cost of housing is a non-issue. If anything knocks those cities out as the front runners, it will be an unwillingness to offer massive incentives that some other cities have.
I beg to differ. If housing were as overestimated as you seem to think, SF would have probably been considered. Also, not everyone working for Amazon is a software engineer bringing in 200 a year. Also, Amazon actually does care about its public image even on a local level. They are well-aware of the effect they have had on housing and traffic for the general public of Seattle. They don’t want a Seattle 2.0.
You should see the number of cranes in the air in the Washington DC area. There are no housing issues. Development in the DC area has been booming the last 15 years. Transit also expands options and opportunity in the DC area as well. Lower cost of living areas in DC are much closer to the city center than in other places.
You should see the number of cranes in the air in the Washington DC area. There are no housing issues. Development in the DC area has been booming the last 15 years. Transit also expands options and opportunity in the DC area as well. Lower cost of living areas in DC are much closer to the city center than in other places.
DC's public transit is great by US standards, but it's still not that great. Chicago, NYC, Boston, and Newark have equally good or better transit. NYC, Chicago, and Boston definitely do. Newark is underrated in every way. It may not have the actual subway system that DC does, but I don't think people realize it has its own Penn station that connects with Amtrak; PATH subway for 24/7 access to Jersey City, Hoboken, and Manhattan; and New Jersey Transit for buses and light rail/subways. It has a dense, urban street grid already. People can say Newark is up-and-coming, but too slow, but they don't really realize what's actually going on in Newark if they're saying this. There are a lot of construction projects downtown. PATH plans to extend its Newark line through the neighborhoods and connect to EWR. Not only are there several residential buildings already built and under construction, but the food and entertainment scene is rapidly improving. I have friends in NYC that were offered raises to transfer to the Newark offices. From their apartments, commuting out to Newark was very difficult so they said no, but businesses are already opening secondary offices in downtown Newark. And Amazon already has Audible in downtown Newark.
Newark is already a lower cost of living area than DC. Beautiful suburbs are just a few minutes away and easily accessible via public transportation as well. If Amazon workers want to be in a city already gentrified with more amenities, commuting from Hoboken, Jersey City, or Manhattan is extremely easy on PATH. But for Amazon, Newark provides much cheaper land to build on.
Amazon has quietly made rights for and acceptance of gay and transgender people part of its criteria in choosing a second headquarters, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk freely.
Quote:
In another city, an Amazon executive groaned at the mention of proposed legislation in Georgia that would restrict funding for same-sex adoption, according to another person who attended the meeting between the company and state and local officials.
This is exactly what I've been saying about the progressive cities in conservative states. Atlanta, Austin, Columbus, Dallas, Indy, Nashville, and Raleigh are not in progressive states. Amazon stands for too many liberal policies that those state governments will refuse to implement. Even if they can have a diverse and liberal populace in the exact city they choose, the state governments are the monsters hiding under the bed waiting to destroy the civil rights of minorities. Georgia, Ohio, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina are NOT liberal enough to please Amazon and its workers. Why would someone that enjoys liberal policies of Seattle voluntarily move to a state that refuses to respect their civil rights, whereas they can just stay in Seattle and enjoy being accepted by society?
Everyone keeps mentioning Atlanta and Austin as frontrunners, but I think they're absolutely out based on the state government.
Boston, Chicago, Denver, LA, Miami, Montgomery County, Newark, NYC, Northern VA, Philly, Pittsburgh, Toronto and DC are left.
Take off Denver and LA for being too west coast when Seattle is already HQ1.
Take off Miami for abysmal public transit.
I doubt they'll go internationally.
You're left with Boston, Chicago, Montgomery County, Newark, NYC, Northern VA, Philly, Pittsburgh, DC.
This is exactly what I've been saying about the progressive cities in conservative states. Atlanta, Austin, Columbus, Dallas, Indy, Nashville, and Raleigh are not in progressive states. Amazon stands for too many liberal policies that those state governments will refuse to implement. Even if they can have a diverse and liberal populace in the exact city they choose, the state governments are the monsters hiding under the bed waiting to destroy the civil rights of minorities. Georgia, Ohio, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina are NOT liberal enough to please Amazon and its workers. Why would someone that enjoys liberal policies of Seattle voluntarily move to a state that refuses to respect their civil rights, whereas they can just stay in Seattle and enjoy being accepted by society?
Everyone keeps mentioning Atlanta and Austin as frontrunners, but I think they're absolutely out based on the state government.
Boston, Chicago, Denver, LA, Miami, Montgomery County, Newark, NYC, Northern VA, Philly, Pittsburgh, Toronto and DC are left.
Take off Denver and LA for being too west coast when Seattle is already HQ1.
Take off Miami for abysmal public transit.
I doubt they'll go internationally.
You're left with Boston, Chicago, Montgomery County, Newark, NYC, Northern VA, Philly, Pittsburgh, DC.
Yep, this is the point I was making earlier in this thread.
I could be wrong but I just don’t see them going anywhere in Georgia, North Carolina, etc. A lot of these big tech corporations are pretty elitist, there’s no way they’d go to a red state no matter how liberal a city within that state maybe.
Yep, this is the point I was making earlier in this thread.
I could be wrong but I just don’t see them going anywhere in Georgia, North Carolina, etc. A lot of these big tech corporations are pretty elitist, there’s no way they’d go to a red state no matter how liberal a city within that state maybe.
On the surface, it's already a very unlikely situation that a liberal company would move its liberal populace to a conservative stuff. But it goes deeper than that with Bezos being an outspoken opponent of Trump. Moving Amazon to a low-tax red state would fuel Trump's ego and the egos of the conservative Republicans of low-tax red states. I highly doubt Bezos will give Trump the satisfaction of opening such an important HQ in a state that voted for Trump. The one exception is PA. It's not a red state. It's a purple state with two extremely deep blue cities. The investment in Pittsburgh or Philly would increase the blueness of the state, if Bezos wants to get THAT political about it. Trump outspokenly hates the political representatives of NJ, NY, and MA, and he can't keep himself from badmouthing Chicago at every chance he gets. Bezos is a pretty political guy. I don't think he'll skip over the political ramifications of his decision, and I could definitely see his choice for HQ2 having a somewhat important political motive.
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