Amazon is looking for a second headquarters (St. Louis, Clayton: employment, neighborhoods)

[STL74]

Originally Posted by satchseven

STL your racism is well known around the country, even before ferguson. I know someone who declined to even apply for work there. White male co-workers have I told me they were shocked at how racist it was there

from seattle times:

"if Bezos stays to form, he wants a city, not only because of his commitment to sustainability but also to attract top talent. A suburban area with good transit might also make the cut. I suspect traditional incentives will play less of a role. The company will certainly take them and play localities off against each other. But talent, education (especially with a strong research university), a cool vibe, good air-travel connections and transit will be the big factors for the finalists. This is not going to be like the 20th century moves from downtowns to far-flung, car-dependent office “parks.”

Seattle's racism is also well known. The white people there like to pat themselves on the back at their open mindedness and pretend it doesn't exist. But how about asking blacks in Seattle how they feel. I have a few black friends who work for Boeing and they felt Seattle was FAR more racist. And it's worse because Seattle is pushing out blacks, getting whiter, and allowing itself to pretend it doesn't exist. The white perception of racism isn't the one you need to listen to. Listen to those who have to live with it.

https://byrslf.co/black-in-seattle-3f67cb01961a

https://www.seattlemet.com/articles/...-than-we-think

At least here in STL, we can't pretend it doesn't exist. You can't do anything about a problem that you believe only exists elsewhere.

[STL1980]

Nashville, Denver, and Austin

This is where this major tech company can TRULY make a difference. There have been numerous studies showing the LACK of minority presence in the tech industry, particularly that of african-americans. St. Louis has one of the most diverse workforces in the country and certainly has access to more african american workers than these "white, hot-list cities" mentioned above. I'm SOOOO sick of all the "hot" cities being the whitest cities in America, and I'm white.. If Amazon really wanted to hire more minorities and train them, then St. Louis is an incredible opportunity. Theses cities above are essentially parking lots, with too much growth that they can't handle, and are arguably the least diverse.
Yes, we all get that this is a long shot and that St. Louis is the underdog city, etc, but I've seen St. Louis change more in the last few years than it has in the last three decades. Downtown St. Louis is the fastest growing residential neighborhood in the region (7.6% last year). We have a low cost of living for these new tech workers. St. Louis IS (whether the St. Louis naysayers want to believe it or not) is growing a strong tech scene here. The central corridor/Cortex to Downtown is rapidly being redeveloped with new housing and new creative office spaces. This area from Clayton to Downtown is ALL connected on a light rail line. St. Louis is at the center of the country with five major interstates and the 2nd largest rail hub. Home to 22 Fortune 1000 and 9 Fortune 500 companies. We have one of the BEST University's in the country (Wash U), not to mention others like SLU, UMSL, etc. The bones are here for St. Louis to continue to grow and boom. We have PLENTY of inexpensive office space downtown, arguably the biggest amount of space at the lowest cost in the Midwest. A future high speed train line to Chicago, will further only grow St. Louis. I honestly think St. Louis should be at the top of the list!

[FrankMiller]

St. Louis is a cheap midwestern city, but has relatively high levels of university presence, tech startups and IT professionals for the region. I wouldn't put money on it, but I really do think STL has a shot.

I don't know what international destinations Amazon cares about; we'll probably have another trans-Atlantic route to London or Paris or something soon, but if Amazon wants multiple options they'll probably have to go with Chicago or the east coast.

[Scottiegal]

Originally Posted by STL1980

This is where this major tech company can TRULY make a difference. There have been numerous studies showing the LACK of minority presence in the tech industry, particularly that of african-americans. St. Louis has one of the most diverse workforces in the country and certainly has access to more african american workers than these "white, hot-list cities" mentioned above. I'm SOOOO sick of all the "hot" cities being the whitest cities in America, and I'm white.. If Amazon really wanted to hire more minorities and train them, then St. Louis is an incredible opportunity. Theses cities above are essentially parking lots, with too much growth that they can't handle, and are arguably the least diverse.
Yes, we all get that this is a long shot and that St. Louis is the underdog city, etc, but I've seen St. Louis change more in the last few years than it has in the last three decades. Downtown St. Louis is the fastest growing residential neighborhood in the region (7.6% last year). We have a low cost of living for these new tech workers. St. Louis IS (whether the St. Louis naysayers want to believe it or not) is growing a strong tech scene here. The central corridor/Cortex to Downtown is rapidly being redeveloped with new housing and new creative office spaces. This area from Clayton to Downtown is ALL connected on a light rail line. St. Louis is at the center of the country with five major interstates and the 2nd largest rail hub. Home to 22 Fortune 1000 and 9 Fortune 500 companies. We have one of the BEST University's in the country (Wash U), not to mention others like SLU, UMSL, etc. The bones are here for St. Louis to continue to grow and boom. We have PLENTY of inexpensive office space downtown, arguably the biggest amount of space at the lowest cost in the Midwest. A future high speed train line to Chicago, will further only grow St. Louis. I honestly think St. Louis should be at the top of the list!

Very good points!

[chicagobear]

Originally Posted by pdm_ad

The RFP specifically says METRO populations over 1 million which certainly would describe both KC and STL and STL certainly has locations that meet the other criteria as well.

I think we are a long shot and I would put my money on Toronto but you never know.

I think it is Chicago's to lose. Chicago plays very well to visiting executives given the urban density and all the yuppies in the growing "San Francisco" part of Chicago as opposed to the shrinking "Detroit" part. Boeing moved to Chicago from Seattle after all.

[glamatomic]

Originally Posted by chicagobear

I think it is Chicago's to lose. Chicago plays very well to visiting executives given the urban density and all the yuppies in the growing "San Francisco" part of Chicago as opposed to the shrinking "Detroit" part. Boeing moved to Chicago from Seattle after all.

I think the issue with Chicago is that the city, along with the state of Illinois is in dire straits financially. Taxes and COL in Chicago are high, meaning that the 'average salary of $100,000' Amazon has touted, won't go as far as in a city like St. Louis or Pittsburgh.

Furthermore, while Chicago does have great connections with their airports and as a rail hub, their interstates and roadways are notoriously inadequate when it comes to handling peak hour traffic levels, and their 125+ year old L train system is at the point where years of deffered maintenance are catching up with them (there was a thing on NPR a week or two ago, discussing New York and Chicago's and other cities aging and decaying public transit systems).

For those reasons, I don't think it's an automatic win for Chicago.

St. Louis, for all of it's problems, actually packs a lot of punch for a city of it's size.

[julsstlouis]

St. Louis has a shot if they sell it right. We meet the population requirements with a metro area of 2.8 million, Centrally located which makes easy for shipping goods with 2 major rivers (I don't include the Merrimac), an underutilized airport which has demonstrated some growth, renovated highways, world-class universities, a fairly decent mass transit system. Not to mention Amazon's already existing facilities in the metro area.

The downfall? Our reputation for crime. But hey, if NGA can build a billion dollar empire in the "hood" then I'm sure Amazon can as well. It'll certainly be a good opportunity to see if our local governments can lay their differences aside and focus on what's good for the region at large. Maybe I'm asking for too much........

[julsstlouis]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

Same.



Unfortunately this describes neither Saint Louis nor Kansas City, but Chicago is a top contender. The city excels in all factors except business climate. I'm not a fan of frivolous tax incencitves but in this case it would be a well-calculated risk.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/07/here...dquarters.html

It actually describes St. Louis, maybe not Kansas City. They aren't looking for a city with a population of 1 million or more; they are looking for a "METRO AREA" with a population of 1 million or more. St. Louis has 2.8 million, K.C. has 2.1 million. The problem with Kansas City is the airport is dated, not user friendly and poses travel concerns because it's so far away from the city core. St. Louis airport, while old as well, has had some major upgrades and continues to show growth in flights and remains Missouri's largest and busiest airport. Both domestic and international travel has increased, plus it's literally located in the "middle" of the metro area (you could stand on the highway and throw a rock and hit it).

Another plus for St. Louis is that it has a light rail mass transit system in place, which was another "wish list item" for Amazon. Kansas City doesn't have that. They do have a nice street car system but it only runs a few miles in the downtown district; doesn't connect you to the rest of the metro area. And another thing St. Louis has that Kansas City doesn't is world-recognized universities. Washington U, St. Louis U, Webster, Fontbonne, Maryville, UMSL......

So I'd have to disagree and say St. Louis is a pretty strong contender. The cost of living is a lot cheaper than Chicago. Plus Chicago has brutal winters and horrible traffic.....people just aren't going for that "big 3 city feel" anymore. Too expensive and too many people.

[julsstlouis]

Originally Posted by FrankMiller

St. Louis is a cheap midwestern city, but has relatively high levels of university presence, tech startups and IT professionals for the region. I wouldn't put money on it, but I really do think STL has a shot.

I don't know what international destinations Amazon cares about; we'll probably have another trans-Atlantic route to London or Paris or something soon, but if Amazon wants multiple options they'll probably have to go with Chicago or the east coast.

I think if they moved to St. Louis that would attract additional airlines to want to fly here. When Amazon speaks, the airline industry will listen, do trust!

[julsstlouis]

Originally Posted by satchseven

STL your racism is well known around the country, even before ferguson. I know someone who declined to even apply for work there. White male co-workers have I told me they were shocked at how racist it was there

from seattle times:

"if Bezos stays to form, he wants a city, not only because of his commitment to sustainability but also to attract top talent. A suburban area with good transit might also make the cut. I suspect traditional incentives will play less of a role. The company will certainly take them and play localities off against each other. But talent, education (especially with a strong research university), a cool vibe, good air-travel connections and transit will be the big factors for the finalists. This is not going to be like the 20th century moves from downtowns to far-flung, car-dependent office “parks.”

Seattle is racist, Boston, which is also a strong contender, is extremely racist. I don't think racism will play a role in their decision. If that's the case then 1/2 of America is disqualified from putting in a bid.