Thanks for everyone's wishes. The interview at AWS went really well and I am moving to the next step. I will keep you updated.
Below is a graph of the housing costs of the 20 cities competing for HQ2 and comparing the cost to Seattle (2016 data). Note Washington DC is the second most expensive. Atlanta is the most inexpensive of the larger metros - this is a big plus for us.
Amazon, announce the HQ2 winner already, dammit!
Can't you see our patience is wearing thin.
Prediction : Amazon buys up all the surrounding surface lots between the North Avenue and Civic Center station in Midtown/SoNo (aka downtown),
and build some of the tallest towers in the city, effectively closing the gap between Midtown and downtown.
I know of two people who work for Amazon and when I’ve been there, all of them rent. Granted the ones I know are all younger than 34. And when I say all, I’m including the coworkers I’ve met. Keep in mind, these articles sometimes only use a specific area of a city and not the entire city.
Latest reports suggest that Amazon just sent a letter to all of the finalists confirming they're still reviewing all of the proposals for a decision.
So this may drag on for a little while longer yet, unfortunately.
It's gonna be like Oprah: "You get a headquarters, and *you* get a headquarters...."
I was hoping with all this Time/Warner/Turner/ATT&T merger stuff that Bezos would swoop in and buy CNN to combine forces with the Washington Post. Sure would make sense if they took the Gulch area for HQ2
It don't be believe this is the reason. Amazon got one of the most liberal cities in America to repel the Amazon head tax, I suspect they think they can get any Republican or Democrat Governor to bend as well - especially business friendly cities in the South.
To me it means this race is competitive or they would shut it down and declare a victor.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine cites the Washington region's congested commute as its biggest weakness in a potential bid for Amazon HQ2.
The Virginia Democrat, who is running for re-election, believes that the region's transportation issues, rather than a lack of affordable housing, will be the biggest obstacle in attracting Amazon's (NASDAQ: AMZN) second headquarters to set up shop here. “It has really good public transportation, and that’s great," Kaine said in a brief interview after his public remarks Monday to the Alliance for Housing Solutions. "But also if you drive, commute times here are long.”
It's gonna be like Oprah: "You get a headquarters, and *you* get a headquarters...."
I was hoping with all this Time/Warner/Turner/ATT&T merger stuff that Bezos would swoop in and buy CNN to combine forces with the Washington Post. Sure would make sense if they took the Gulch area for HQ2
You really think is a good idea? And what would it give them in the end?
You really think is a good idea? And what would it give them in the end?
I am not sure if you are aware, but Amazon is spending tons of money to acquire and create content. CNN would also give Amazon another distribution channel for content. It is also Jeff Bezos personal mission to make sure the US/World has a free and strong press.
Actually Philly is considerably lower than Atlanta's median home price $130K vs $220.
Wow! I stand corrected.
I knew the COL was relatively reasonable there (and part of the reason why I consider them a top contender), but that's insanely low for a 6+ million metro in the highly sought after Boston-DC corridor.
In somewhat related news, Rahm Emanuel recently revealed that Amazon only toured 5 of the 10 sites Chicago presented, and they're only really interested in two of them.
I mention this because one, it means Atlanta wasn't the only city where they skipped certain sites for a visit, and also because my understanding is neither of those 5 sites in Chicago are downtown, which is interesting given all of the speculation about Amazon wanting "an advanced urban setting."
In somewhat related news, Rahm Emanuel recently revealed that Amazon only toured 5 of the 10 sites Chicago presented, and they're only really interested in two of them.
I mention this because one, it means Atlanta wasn't the only city where they skipped certain sites for a visit, and also because my understanding is neither of those 5 sites in Chicago are downtown, which is interesting given all of the speculation about Amazon wanting "an advanced urban setting."
There is no land available anywhere downtown that would support their campus. They would have a very fragmented campus if they wanted to build downtown, unless they purchased several buildings. Perhaps the only exception is the south loop area near the target, but that is pretty packed in too. . I’m not familiar with the 10 sites, full disclosure
*The 78, Related Midwest's 62-acre site along the Chicago River between the South Loop and Chinatown. (This would be considered downtown. Best site IMO in Chicago for Amazon)
* The River District, 37 riverfront acres owned by Tribune Media between Chicago and Grand avenues. (This is virtually downtown and adjacent to very dense/urban areas)
* Lincoln Yards, Sterling Bay's more than 70-acre site on the river along Lincoln Park and Bucktown. (Basically the most urban/densely populated areas of the city)
* The Burnham Lakefront, Farpoint Development and Draper and Kramer's planned redevelopment of the former Michael Reese Hospital site and other land just south of Interstate 55 and McCormick Place. (fringe of downtown)
* Fulton Market district on the Near West Side. (basically downtown and a booming area of office and housing)
Prev
: Amazon buys up all the surrounding surface lots between the North Avenue and Civic Center station in Midtown/SoNo (aka downtown),
Linear Mode
