What are San Antonio's chances of getting Amazon 2nd HQ? (Austin: for sale, new home)

[flashfearless]

Camden, NJ has a different approach that SAT should look at.

Dear Amazon, we suck as a city so much, if Amazon was in our city, we wouldn't suck any more. Love, Camden NJ.

What scrappy Camden offers Amazon others can't: A chance to lift up an entire city.

[SweethomeSanAntonio]

Originally Posted by ged_782

San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the U.S. but 25th largest metro. The San Antonio metro GDP ranks 35th. By contrast, DFW and Houston are 4th & 5th metros, respectively. Their GDP rankings are very close to their metro ranking numbers, also. Austin is the 35th largest metro, but GDP is 32, just ahead of San Antonio.


So the three Texas cities with larger airports than San Antonio all have greater economic output, and two of the three also have larger populations. Austin benefitted from the closure of Bergstrom Air Force Base, and recaptured the airfield for development of a new airport to replace the former Robert Mueller Airport (which had become a joke of an airport, considering the population growth of the area, the booming tech industry, the presence of a Tier I university and State capitol).


I think San Antonio's problem is largely one of demographics and business climate. If locals are clamoring for a larger airport with more service options to more places and more direct flights, in the absence of demand from travelers coming/going from/to San Antonio, local residents would just have to lobby COSA to kick in local tax money (the local airport system is currently enterprise-funded), to make improvements that would hopefully facilitate increased service opportunities, along with potential for greater business acquisitions (like Amazon), expansions, and growth.


Even with an expanded airport, it wouldn't guarantee all those things would come to us. Remember, the local taxpayer-funded Alamodome was supposed to all but assure us an NFL expansion franchise in the early 1990s, and we're still waiting...

Austin has a more expensive economy not necessarily a bigger one and it should break into the top 20 metros within the next decade its 24th now hovering around 2.5 million.

[cBach]

San Antonio basically put their middle finger at Amazon:

https://venturebeat.com/2017/10/12/s...snt-our-style/

That's good, gives more chances for Austin.


Here's the mayor's full letter:

https://media.bizj.us/view/img/10645...jeff-bezos.pdf

[Juventud Guerrero]

Originally Posted by cBach

San Antonio basically put their middle finger at Amazon:

https://venturebeat.com/2017/10/12/s...snt-our-style/

That's good, gives more chances for Austin.


Here's the mayor's full letter:

https://media.bizj.us/view/img/10645...jeff-bezos.pdf

I hope Austin gets it, I have a feeling they might.

[SweethomeSanAntonio]

Originally Posted by Juventud Guerrero

I read somewhere that even though San Antonio has a large population it's air traffic at the airport is alot lower than other similar sized and even smaller cities.

In other words a disproportionate portion of the population of San Antonio cannot afford the luxury of air travel when compared to other similar sized cities.

San Antonio's airport is losing passengers to Austin's airport because they are to close to each other. I've flown out of Austin recently and really didn't want to because of this reason but my friend found a cheaper flight to NYC. Nonetheless S.A's airport has a higher passenger count than the airports in the following metros that are not much smaller, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati's and about the same as Indianapolis.


https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/r...ble_01_44.html

[cBach]

Originally Posted by SweethomeSanAntonio

San Antonio's airport is losing passengers to Austin's airport because they are to close to each other. I've flown out of Austin recently and really didn't want to because of this reason but my friend found a cheaper flight to NYC. Nonetheless S.A's airport has a higher passenger count than the airports in the following metros that are not much smaller, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati's and about the same as Indianapolis.


https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/r...ble_01_44.html

It doesn't matter. The mayor basically said "giving away the farm isn't our style".

Amazon HQ2 is definitely not going to SA.

[Azure110]

Originally Posted by cBach

It doesn't matter. The mayor basically said "giving away the farm isn't our style".

Amazon HQ2 is definitely not going to SA.

To be honest, I actually agree with the mayor on this one. Amazon is just creating a ridiculous bidding war as reported and mostly likely made a decision long time ago. Why devote any more time, money and other resources to try to draw them here?

That being said, I am sure Austin is the chosen one.

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by Azure110

To be honest, I actually agree with the mayor on this one. Amazon is just creating a ridiculous bidding war as reported and mostly likely made a decision long time ago. Why devote any more time, money and other resources to try to draw them here?

That being said, I am sure Austin is the chosen one.

I actually think it will Be Pittsburg.

[resonator]

They need a place that Seattle folks (the big bosses who will manage the place) will like.

Portland probably.

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by resonator

They need a place that Seattle folks (the big bosses who will manage the place) will like.

Portland probably.

From a business prospective that would would be asinine.