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Chicago is one of the few cities on that list that Amazon's 2nd HQ wouldn't mess up because of its size, urban and suburban mass transit, and relatively low cost of housing in a very large area. Washington and Boston, two of the other talked about cities on the list, would be completely messed up with housing costs and traffic. This thing has dragged on for so long that I am beginning to not care where it goes, but Chicago would be a no brainer.
As I keep saying, I dont think the effect to housing costs will be at the scope of Seattle. It will have a negative effect but not to that extent. However, I think youre absolutely right about traffic and basically overburdening of infrastructure. This could be a very real issue in DC and Boston.
My objective take (on places that "need" Amazon HQ2):
Amazon's HQ2 would be a great addition for the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The DMV's economy, at least back in 2012, was roughly 50% affiliated with the government and their contract partners, which is a very high percentage for any major metropolitan area to rely on its key industry. Only real-estate and tourism hotspots like Las Vegas and Orlando have a less diversified economy by percentage breakdown.
Personally I think Amazon's HQ2 is a great start to the DMV's solution in diversifying its economy further away from government. Think about it, 50,000 jobs is significant and they would all be non-government related, in addition to that are the tens of thousands of jobs that flock to the region to be near Amazon as well. The spillover effect. That would be quite the coup for the DMV, a net positive all in all.
Miami/Fort Lauderdale would be a close second after that. Miami is a complete long-shot to land HQ2, along with Los Angeles, it probably has the least likely chance of pulling it off. However, it would be a great addition to the region and a further way to diversify the economy more quickly away from real-estate, tourism, and foreign banking which are volatile and subject to geopolitical shifts in other countries. Miami likely doesn't have the talent base necessary to land HQ2 but Amazon's second headquarters would have worked wonders for Southeast Florida by setting up shop there. In particular the Fort Lauderdale area and vicinity as that is the tech stronghold of the Southeast Florida Metropolis.
My subjective take (on places that don't need HQ2 but could always use more excuses to build tall buildings):
Build it in New York, Chicago, or Toronto. I don't really like Amazon as a company and rarely use any of their services but if they can be used as a tool to build more tall towers to enhance three of the largest skylines on the North American continent even further, then I'd support it for that reason alone.
Overall:
Despite what I think, it will probably go to either the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, one of the two Texas metropolitan areas, or the Atlanta metropolitan area. These places can accommodate growth, have the talent, have programs and schools necessary, and build ample housing each year to keep pace. Amazon already has offices and white collar positions in all three of them, not to the scope of Seattle, but some of their biggest offices outside of their Seattle headquarters are in these places. Meaning they already have experience with attracting, retaining, and recruiting talent to these places.
DISCLAIMER: I don't have any research based in this, so this is entirely opinion off the top of my head. Please do not flip out on me, but feel free to constructively criticize and critique this opinion.
TOP FIVE
1) Atlanta: Not neccessarily that they need this, but as far as being a North American corporate hub, It helps that their airport is the busiest in the world by annual passenger foot traffic. Also, Atlanta might be the most densely populated VERY BIG city in the South outside of Florida or NoVA, or Maryland or Delaware. They may not have the most walkable downtown, but there certainly are walkable neighborhoods in the city of Atlanta, and they have one of the country's most extensive public transit systems. Still Growing as a Metro area, still plenty of land in the outer suburbs. Logistics center of the South. The South may have backwards, retrograde , impoverished areas, but aside from a few states and regions within states, The South is the fastest growing region by population when counted as a whole by the census bureau (MD, DE, DC, VA, KY, NC, SC, TN, GA, FL, AL, MS, AR, LA, TX, OK, WV). It's the main center of Hispanic migration and internal migration of whites as a whole region, it has the highest birthrate among whites besides the Mormons in Utah. Most of the post world war II economic development East of the Mississippi (where most of the population still lives) has taken place in the South as the Southeastern states (KY, VA, WV, MD, DE, FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, AL, MS) have lifted themselves out of poverty through their hard work and self-determination after greater economic and social freedoms were granted to minorities and poor whites after the civil rights movement. Road Quality in Georgia is the best according to the U.S. News and World Report Best States rankings. Good tax environment, and one of the lowest COLs by state in America is in Georgia. Great Roads, Logistics infrastructure, human capital, especially in human capital flight of college-educated young adults from slower growth southern states like Mississippi into Metro Atlanta.
2) Chicago: Old Logistics hub of North America. Center of the United States' rail network, meaning good access to it by train. Walkable, vibrant downtown that transcends time. Third Largest city in the United States, HUGE number of colleges and Universities. probably only second to Boston or Third behind New York for aggregate number of colleges. America's Insurance capital. Huge immigrant population. Many areas that are currently blighted could easily be redeveloped to the site of the Amazon HQ2. Very, very strong human capital. O'Hare is the second busiest airport in the world by foot traffic and busiest by measure of planes entering or leaving the airport annually. Strong Corporate environment.
3) Dallas: Center of the Oil money in Texas, many large corporations already there. Vibrant downtown. Very, very large metropolitan area teeming with immigrants and human capital. Very large amount of land in the suburbs available for redevelopment. Good colleges based in DFW. Money center of Texas. Very good business ecosystem, very extensive public transit.
4) Raleigh: A great Southern city with a vibrant downtown and a dense core that has (IMHO) tons of potential. State Capital of the third-fastest growing Southern State. Lots and lots of open countryside in the suburbs ripe for redevelopment. Lots of areas that are really fast growing. Lots of human capital in the state, great number of research universities and other 4 or more year colleges/universities. Close to the Outer Banks and Manteo Island, the site of the Roanoke Colony. very conveniently located near roads leading to the Northeast Megalopolis. Near many historic colleges and universities in the South, such as UGA, USC, W&M, UVA, VCU, and Georgetown. Not badly blighted in inner-city neighborhoods. Very convenient in all way except air travel, which lags, but may well catch up if Amazon chooses to relocate.
You have some good points, but I disagree with a number of your categorizations. Downtown Dallas is vibrant? Atlanta is dense and has one of the country's most extensive transit systems? Chicago has a huge immigrant population? Raleigh has a dense core?
You have some good points, but I disagree with a number of your categorizations. Downtown Dallas is vibrant? Atlanta is dense and has one of the country's most extensive transit systems? Chicago has a huge immigrant population? Raleigh has a dense core?
T I do actually think DT Raleigh might have the fewest Surfacelots of any major southern city but that's more due to the lack of major employers that are actually Downtown.
DISCLAIMER: I don't have any research based in this, so this is entirely opinion off the top of my head. Please do not flip out on me, but feel free to constructively criticize and critique this opinion.
TOP FIVE
1) Atlanta: Not neccessarily that they need this, but as far as being a North American corporate hub, It helps that their airport is the busiest in the world by annual passenger foot traffic. Also, Atlanta might be the most densely populated VERY BIG city in the South outside of Florida or NoVA, or Maryland or Delaware. They may not have the most walkable downtown, but there certainly are walkable neighborhoods in the city of Atlanta, and they have one of the country's most extensive public transit systems. Still Growing as a Metro area, still plenty of land in the outer suburbs. Logistics center of the South. The South may have backwards, retrograde , impoverished areas, but aside from a few states and regions within states, The South is the fastest growing region by population when counted as a whole by the census bureau (MD, DE, DC, VA, KY, NC, SC, TN, GA, FL, AL, MS, AR, LA, TX, OK, WV). It's the main center of Hispanic migration and internal migration of whites as a whole region, it has the highest birthrate among whites besides the Mormons in Utah. Most of the post world war II economic development East of the Mississippi (where most of the population still lives) has taken place in the South as the Southeastern states (KY, VA, WV, MD, DE, FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, AL, MS) have lifted themselves out of poverty through their hard work and self-determination after greater economic and social freedoms were granted to minorities and poor whites after the civil rights movement. Road Quality in Georgia is the best according to the U.S. News and World Report Best States rankings. Good tax environment, and one of the lowest COLs by state in America is in Georgia. Great Roads, Logistics infrastructure, human capital, especially in human capital flight of college-educated young adults from slower growth southern states like Mississippi into Metro Atlanta.
2) Chicago: Old Logistics hub of North America. Center of the United States' rail network, meaning good access to it by train. Walkable, vibrant downtown that transcends time. Third Largest city in the United States, HUGE number of colleges and Universities. probably only second to Boston or Third behind New York for aggregate number of colleges. America's Insurance capital. Huge immigrant population. Many areas that are currently blighted could easily be redeveloped to the site of the Amazon HQ2. Very, very strong human capital. O'Hare is the second busiest airport in the world by foot traffic and busiest by measure of planes entering or leaving the airport annually. Strong Corporate environment.
3) Dallas: Center of the Oil money in Texas, many large corporations already there. Vibrant downtown. Very, very large metropolitan area teeming with immigrants and human capital. Very large amount of land in the suburbs available for redevelopment. Good colleges based in DFW. Money center of Texas. Very good business ecosystem, very extensive public transit.
4) Raleigh: A great Southern city with a vibrant downtown and a dense core that has (IMHO) tons of potential. State Capital of the third-fastest growing Southern State. Lots and lots of open countryside in the suburbs ripe for redevelopment. Lots of areas that are really fast growing. Lots of human capital in the state, great number of research universities and other 4 or more year colleges/universities. Close to the Outer Banks and Manteo Island, the site of the Roanoke Colony. very conveniently located near roads leading to the Northeast Megalopolis. Near many historic colleges and universities in the South, such as UGA, USC, W&M, UVA, VCU, and Georgetown. Not badly blighted in inner-city neighborhoods. Very convenient in all way except air travel, which lags, but may well catch up if Amazon chooses to relocate.
You left off #5.
Re: Atlanta, yes, it's bigger than any other southern city except DC, Dallas and Miami.
DISCLAIMER: I don't have any research based in this, so this is entirely opinion off the top of my head. Please do not flip out on me, but feel free to constructively criticize and critique this opinion.
TOP FIVE
1) Atlanta: Not neccessarily that they need this, but as far as being a North American corporate hub, It helps that their airport is the busiest in the world by annual passenger foot traffic. Also, Atlanta might be the most densely populated VERY BIG city in the South outside of Florida or NoVA, or Maryland or Delaware. They may not have the most walkable downtown, but there certainly are walkable neighborhoods in the city of Atlanta, and they have one of the country's most extensive public transit systems. Still Growing as a Metro area, still plenty of land in the outer suburbs. Logistics center of the South. The South may have backwards, retrograde , impoverished areas, but aside from a few states and regions within states, The South is the fastest growing region by population when counted as a whole by the census bureau (MD, DE, DC, VA, KY, NC, SC, TN, GA, FL, AL, MS, AR, LA, TX, OK, WV). It's the main center of Hispanic migration and internal migration of whites as a whole region, it has the highest birthrate among whites besides the Mormons in Utah. Most of the post world war II economic development East of the Mississippi (where most of the population still lives) has taken place in the South as the Southeastern states (KY, VA, WV, MD, DE, FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, AL, MS) have lifted themselves out of poverty through their hard work and self-determination after greater economic and social freedoms were granted to minorities and poor whites after the civil rights movement. Road Quality in Georgia is the best according to the U.S. News and World Report Best States rankings. Good tax environment, and one of the lowest COLs by state in America is in Georgia. Great Roads, Logistics infrastructure, human capital, especially in human capital flight of college-educated young adults from slower growth southern states like Mississippi into Metro Atlanta.
2) Chicago: Old Logistics hub of North America. Center of the United States' rail network, meaning good access to it by train. Walkable, vibrant downtown that transcends time. Third Largest city in the United States, HUGE number of colleges and Universities. probably only second to Boston or Third behind New York for aggregate number of colleges. America's Insurance capital. Huge immigrant population. Many areas that are currently blighted could easily be redeveloped to the site of the Amazon HQ2. Very, very strong human capital. O'Hare is the second busiest airport in the world by foot traffic and busiest by measure of planes entering or leaving the airport annually. Strong Corporate environment.
3) Dallas: Center of the Oil money in Texas, many large corporations already there. Vibrant downtown. Very, very large metropolitan area teeming with immigrants and human capital. Very large amount of land in the suburbs available for redevelopment. Good colleges based in DFW. Money center of Texas. Very good business ecosystem, very extensive public transit.
4) Raleigh: A great Southern city with a vibrant downtown and a dense core that has (IMHO) tons of potential. State Capital of the third-fastest growing Southern State. Lots and lots of open countryside in the suburbs ripe for redevelopment. Lots of areas that are really fast growing. Lots of human capital in the state, great number of research universities and other 4 or more year colleges/universities. Close to the Outer Banks and Manteo Island, the site of the Roanoke Colony. very conveniently located near roads leading to the Northeast Megalopolis. Near many historic colleges and universities in the South, such as UGA, USC, W&M, UVA, VCU, and Georgetown. Not badly blighted in inner-city neighborhoods. Very convenient in all way except air travel, which lags, but may well catch up if Amazon chooses to relocate.
I mostly agree with 1-3, but I would replace Raleigh with Philadelphia.
Re: Atlanta, yes, it's bigger than any other southern city except DC, Dallas and Miami.
Raleigh is too small, IMO.
Meant to put top four. Was going to consider Miami or Columbus, OH, but that would have been a bit hard to describe in a positive light because Miami and I literally know nothing about Columbus other than the fact that it's the state capital of Ohio and home to Ohio State.
I mostly agree with 1-3, but I would replace Raleigh with Philadelphia.
Would Philadelphia have a low enough cost of living or have any room to convert from field or room in the inner city to convert from blight into the HQ2? I really think Atlanta or Chicago would be no-brainers with the two largest airports in the United States. The only downside is that some of the blight in certain parts of both cities proper might turn away a certain type of people from working there, but that's just a wild guess. I really don't know much about Philadelphia today, just asking.
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My choices for HQ2
