Amazon is looking for a second HQ. Why not, Pittsburgh? (Washington: home, transfer)

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by JoeP

Exactly and when they are older, many will go to the burbs to start their families. Not all of course, but the urban living thing has limitations for most people, for a variety of reasons (some may want to, but there's an affordability issue as well0.

Everything I've read suggests that while the exodus to the suburbs hasn't slowed that much from a generation ago, the type of young people moving to the suburbs has. It used to be that working-class young people tended to stick to the city, while college-educated young people moved to the suburbs eventually. Now that's inverted to a large degree, with those who are wealthier and more educated more likely to stick it out with city living for longer.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Everything I've read suggests that while the exodus to the suburbs hasn't slowed that much from a generation ago, the type of young people moving to the suburbs has. It used to be that working-class young people tended to stick to the city, while college-educated young people moved to the suburbs eventually. Now that's inverted to a large degree, with those who are wealthier and more educated more likely to stick it out with city living for longer.

This. The kind of highly educated professionals who make up much of Amazon's workforce are choosing the city.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Everything I've read suggests that while the exodus to the suburbs hasn't slowed that much from a generation ago, the type of young people moving to the suburbs has. It used to be that working-class young people tended to stick to the city, while college-educated young people moved to the suburbs eventually. Now that's inverted to a large degree, with those who are wealthier and more educated more likely to stick it out with city living for longer.

i agree. i think the average age of having kids and buying a house getting higher have contributed to this as well.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by gladhands

This. The kind of highly educated professionals who make up much of Amazon's workforce are choosing the city.

"Picking Boston would disappoint many Amazon employees with families hoping for a more suburban location like Austin, Texas, that offers affordable housing options beyond apartments and condominiums, said Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant who used to work for the company and still knows a lot of people there."

“Texas is absolutely the best choice from the perspective of associates,” Ladd said. “Amazon associates are sick and tired of living in cities with high rents and congestion.”

i understand this goes against your narrative but they are real quotes from amazon employees.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...d-headquarters

[JoeP]

Boston burbs ain't cheap either.

[xdv8]

Originally Posted by Paul2421

"Picking Boston would disappoint many Amazon employees with families hoping for a more suburban location like Austin, Texas, that offers affordable housing options beyond apartments and condominiums, said Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant who used to work for the company and still knows a lot of people there."

“Texas is absolutely the best choice from the perspective of associates,” Ladd said. “Amazon associates are sick and tired of living in cities with high rents and congestion.”

i understand this goes against your narrative but they are real quotes from amazon employees.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...d-headquarters

So defensive of burb life. That's nothing more than an anecdote you quote. You would like to think all Amazon employees yearn for the open sprawl of the suburbs. That's your narrative.

People that work there want both, and Pittsburgh can offer both at prices that major tier 1 cities cannot.

[RogersParkTransplant]

Originally Posted by Paul2421

"Picking Boston would disappoint many Amazon employees with families hoping for a more suburban location like Austin, Texas, that offers affordable housing options beyond apartments and condominiums, said Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant who used to work for the company and still knows a lot of people there."

“Texas is absolutely the best choice from the perspective of associates,” Ladd said. “Amazon associates are sick and tired of living in cities with high rents and congestion.”

i understand this goes against your narrative but they are real quotes from amazon employees.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...d-headquarters

I read this as the associates being sick and tired of cities *with high rents and congestion*, not sick of cities full stop. That's the whole point of Pittsburgh; our rent may be going up and traffic getting worse, but it's still nothing compared to cities like NYC/Boston/SF/DC/etc.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by xdv8

So defensive of burb life. That's nothing more than an anecdote you quote. You would like to think all Amazon employees yearn for the open sprawl of the suburbs. That's your narrative.

People that work there want both, and Pittsburgh can offer both at prices that major tier 1 cities cannot.

When did I say that people yearn for sprawl? I entirely agree that people want both. The "highly educated employees" will choose both the city and the suburban areas.

[Faer]

The median home value in Austin is $323k. In Dallas, its $167k. In Pgh, its $124k. I think the point is employees want to be able to afford single family housing, not merely to be in a more sprawling area (which not incidentally tend to have worse traffic issues.) I think Pgh wins on that specific quote.

[Copanut]

I'm not big on granting all kinds of perks to corporations, but this may be the exception. It would really look good on Pgh's permanent record card to have them headquartered here. Plus, all those millennial types ride bikes and Bicycle Bill has taken care of that.