Amazon is looking for a second HQ. Why not, Pittsburgh? (Philadelphia: places to live, professionals)

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

I don't see that at all. Pittsburgh is in no way prepared to handle the additional traffic and it will push prices up. With a large portion of our population being older on fixed income this would be devastating. A "win" for Pittsburgh would be if Amazon chooses another city.

Everybody is supposed to wait around for the Baby Boomers to die before we look for a better job?

[eschaton]

The more I think about it, the more I have a hard time thinking of a scenario where Pittsburgh is a finalist contender where Philly doesn't get it instead.

I say this because Philly basically has all the same advantages we do. They're relatively cheap (albeit a bit less than us). They've got transit (better than ours). They have shovel-ready campus sites right in the urban core. They're in the same state, so whatever subsidies PA is shoveling will go to Amazon regardless.

Basically the only way I could see Pittsburgh getting the nod over Philly is if Amazon decided they really, really wanted to come into the local labor market and dominate it so utterly that their HQ2 location would become a defacto "company town."

[_Buster]

Philly is not really considered much of a tech city, where Pittsburgh now is, along with the pull of CMU which has no equivalent in Philly, so there is a potential reason.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The more I think about it, the more I have a hard time thinking of a scenario where Pittsburgh is a finalist contender where Philly doesn't get it instead.

In more words or less, I feel the same as this. At times Pittsburgh is perfection...miniaturized - it has everything, and few areas do...but our "everything" is compact, on a lesser scale.

Amazon asked the other contenders to keep private the details of their proposals. OUR disclosure might hurt our chances.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by _Buster

Philly is not really considered much of a tech city, where Pittsburgh now is, along with the pull of CMU which has no equivalent in Philly, so there is a potential reason.

this isn't really a true statement....

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-a...b_9044910.html

[_Buster]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

I don't see that at all. Pittsburgh is in no way prepared to handle the additional traffic and it will push prices up. With a large portion of our population being older on fixed income this would be devastating. A "win" for Pittsburgh would be if Amazon chooses another city.

The city and region need the jobs and need to replace upcoming retiring boomers, while retaining the college graduates who leave the area because they can't currently find a good job. Amazon would be great for that, and while adding to traffic/transit woes would also provide a huge tax benefit which can be used to improve infrastructure, which everyone at least pretends they want. As for those on a fixed income, if they own its not going to affect them much - if they eventually can't afford the taxes, they can sell (probably at a big profit) or get a reverse mortgage. But I'm betting it would not affect the housing cost much of the people in that situation.

[_Buster]

Originally Posted by Paul2421

this isn't really a true statement....

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-a...b_9044910.html

Yes it is. You can find a link to an article to support literally any position on anything - that doesn't make it true. Philly is definitely NOT known as a tech heavy city, and it has no equivalent to CMU. If you called Philly a tech city in DC or NYC or Boston the avg person would laugh at you. and keep on laughing. Pittsburghers do not think of Philly as tech oriented either. maybe in Reading, PA or Wilmington, DE they'd nod and change the subject.

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The more I think about it, the more I have a hard time thinking of a scenario where Pittsburgh is a finalist contender where Philly doesn't get it instead.

I say this because Philly basically has all the same advantages we do. They're relatively cheap (albeit a bit less than us). They've got transit (better than ours). They have shovel-ready campus sites right in the urban core. They're in the same state, so whatever subsidies PA is shoveling will go to Amazon regardless.

Basically the only way I could see Pittsburgh getting the nod over Philly is if Amazon decided they really, really wanted to come into the local labor market and dominate it so utterly that their HQ2 location would become a defacto "company town."

I think having CMU helps the 'burgh tremendously, is it enough to beat out the "big boys", probably not.

Ask yourself this, everything else being exactly the same, if Pittsburgh didn't have CMU does the city even make it into the Top 20 for Amazon's HQ2?

Maybe, maybe not.

[eschaton]

Adjusted for MSA size, Philly certainly doesn't have as much of a tech presence as Pittsburgh now has. However, considering the Philly MSA is 2.6 times our size, it doesn't need to be as tech heavy. Like Pittsburgh, it cleared what seems to be one of the most important hurdles - having a robust enough local labor market to accommodate Amazon.

[Enough_Already]

Originally Posted by _Buster

The city and region need the jobs and need to replace upcoming retiring boomers, while retaining the college graduates who leave the area because they can't currently find a good job. Amazon would be great for that, and while adding to traffic/transit woes would also provide a huge tax benefit which can be used to improve infrastructure, which everyone at least pretends they want. As for those on a fixed income, if they own its not going to affect them much - if the eventually can't afford the taxes they can sale (probably at a big profit) or get a reverse mortgage. But I'm betting it would not affect the housing cost much of the people in that situation.

It will have a huge effect on hosing and it will kill the people who rent. The traffic alone would be a nightmare. This is only good for the politicians who will use this to further their ambitions outside the area. With our shortsighted leaders it would be an even bigger disaster. Our leaders are the people who are making our highly rated airport smaller. It would be a good day if Amazon announces they have chosen another city.