Indy advances to the final 20 in bid to win Amazon's 2nd HQ (Indianapolis: transplants, sales)

[hapaleeretired]

Go sit in rush hour traffic in any of the competing cities and tell my you'd want to move your business there. I read this morning that Atlanta was leading the race. Oh yeah! I'd want my employees spending 3-4 hours a day getting to and from work.

[Berteau]

Originally Posted by hapaleeretired

Go sit in rush hour traffic in any of the competing cities and tell my you'd want to move your business there. I read this morning that Atlanta was leading the race. Oh yeah! I'd want my employees spending 3-4 hours a day getting to and from work.

That's only if you live in suburbs. Most of the workers are young and will live close to downtown. A commute is part of living in a real city. A city with international recognition. That means people want to live there are there are actual good jobs worth driving to. There is also this thing called public transportation that almost all the cities beat Indy at. Basically all Indy has to offer better is cheap land and rent. Which is great if you want to build a manufacturing plant making widgets.

[sheerbliss]

Young people tend to get older, get married, have kids, and leave downtown for good school districts and neighborhoods with other parents instead of shlepping a baby around to bars and restaurants on public transportation. But they won't tend to leave a good job at that point.

Shortly before I left Denver, my employer was looking for a new office. The youngest people on the search committee wanted a place with less expensive parking, not trendy places to go after work. And remember that Amazon isn't all that profitable. If you're looking at things you have to deal with day in and day out--costs, commuting, weather, distance from family (half the US population is within a one-day drive from Indy), our city looks pretty good.

[popcorn247]

When will the city to host Amazon be announced?

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by Berteau

That's only if you live in suburbs. Most of the workers are young and will live close to downtown. A commute is part of living in a real city. A city with international recognition. That means people want to live there are there are actual good jobs worth driving to. There is also this thing called public transportation that almost all the cities beat Indy at. Basically all Indy has to offer better is cheap land and rent. Which is great if you want to build a manufacturing plant making widgets.

Please explain why a "commute" is considered a good thing, and why that is a benefit considering your position that most Amazon workers will prefer living close to downtown and thus won't have a long commute. Compare and contrast that against your position that Indy lacks a good mass transit system, something that is meant to alleviate long commute times. Please also explain why Indy's currently under construction BRT system is not a positive, as well as why Indy needs a large scale system beyond BRT considering the costs associated and reconciled against your position that Indy does not need to alleviate non-existent commutes. Explain how this applies to Amazon.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by popcorn247

When will the city to host Amazon be announced?

Later this year. I'd imagine Amazon has some idea already where they want to put their HQ2. The running theory from a lot of national commentators that this top 20 is more a collection of places they are sincerely considering for HQ2, and other places under consideration for other types of regional hubs. Who knows if that is true; but a regional distribution hub of sorts does make sense for Indianapolis considering the large warehousing presence Amazon already has here.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by Berteau

That's only if you live in suburbs. Most of the workers are young and will live close to downtown. A commute is part of living in a real city. A city with international recognition. That means people want to live there are there are actual good jobs worth driving to. There is also this thing called public transportation that almost all the cities beat Indy at. Basically all Indy has to offer better is cheap land and rent. Which is great if you want to build a manufacturing plant making widgets.

I wouldn't think of Indy as a front runner, but the fact that it made the list means it may still theoretically be in the running, and Amazon may very well be open to Indy for the expansion of satellite offices or smaller divisions in the future.

I worked at 96th and College and Keystone at the Crossing for a little over two years. 10-15 minute commute to work from where I lived in Carmel each way on city streets. If I wanted to do something in Broad Ripple after work, I could be there in less than ten minutes. Provided Meridian wasn't crazy, I could be downtown in 15-20. By the time I got done with whatever I was doing later in the evening, driving back to Carmel took about 20.

I don't want to be commuting for an hour or so each way in a "real city" to find a decent place to live.

[sirrob]

Indy needs to piggyback off of making the short list, to entice other tech companies to come here. It's a win/win either way it goes. To make the top 20 out of 238, with ZERO incentives, and beating out huge cities like Houston, etc... says a LOT. I'm happy for Indy.

[Berteau]

Originally Posted by sheerbliss

Young people tend to get older, get married, have kids, and leave downtown for good school districts and neighborhoods with other parents instead of shlepping a baby around to bars and restaurants on public transportation. But they won't tend to leave a good job at that point.

Shortly before I left Denver, my employer was looking for a new office. The youngest people on the search committee wanted a place with less expensive parking, not trendy places to go after work. And remember that Amazon isn't all that profitable. If you're looking at things you have to deal with day in and day out--costs, commuting, weather, distance from family (half the US population is within a one-day drive from Indy), our city looks pretty good.

Then why do so many people live in Chicago, DC, Boston, and NYC where better companies and jobs are also if that is the case? Why is Silicon Valley in San Fran and not Indy? Indy is LAST on the list of 20 as far as odds to get it, so apparently your analysis is flawed. Obviously you live in Indy, so that’s why you’re biased and defending it as the best city.

[ServoMiff]

Originally Posted by Berteau

Then why do so many people live in Chicago, DC, Boston, and NYC where better companies and jobs are also if that is the case? Why is Silicon Valley in San Fran and not Indy? Indy is LAST on the list of 20 as far as odds to get it, so apparently your analysis is flawed. Obviously you live in Indy, so that’s why you’re biased and defending it as the best city.

Exactly. I have been a detractor of Indy for awhile after spending 10 years in the state, 8 in Fishers and 2 in Bloomington - but even though I don't think Indy stands a chance at getting the HQ2, I think the city needs to play this card HARD over the coming 6 months to bring other business to the area. Even when HQ2 doesn't come, the city will be better off for it.

Indiana already has a major distribution hub (just outside of Louisville) for Amazon and I could see them adding more if they continue to grow.

When you consider all of the factors desired by the Seattle staff who may be relocating, I can see why Atlanta would be considered the clubhouse leader. Yeah, traffic sucks, but millennials don't want a commute anyhow and will be staying closer to downtown or along MARTA station lines to avoid it. The only thing Atlanta really lacks is a cultural identity, along with a bit of a political clash between the state's leanings as a whole and the majority of the inbound employees.

I personally believe Chicago is the dark horse here. Probably the most inexpensive land (with incentives) of any major metro city on the list, strong cultural identity, booming hipster scene, quality public transport and proximity to plenty of tech with Purdue, Notre Dame, Northwestern, U of I, and DePaul nearby. Oh, and also plenty of land in the loop area to build (of the 10 locations Chicago submitted, only 2 were in the suburbs). Chicago's biggest downside is political ineptness and the winters (which would be a downside for almost all of the eastern seaboard cities as well).