“…GBH Insights’ Daniel Ives predicts Atlanta to be one of the five cities out of the new list of 20 candidates to be in the running for Amazon’s second headquarters project, said CNBC. 'We believe the top 5 likely cities for Amazon’s second headquarters/HQ2 in order will be:
1. Atlanta,
2. Raleigh,
3. Washington D.C.,
4. Boston, and
5. Austin (only non-East Coast city in our Top 5)'...."
Why? Think about it:
- Tech Hub: Google, Apple, FaceBook, Nokia, Bosch, and other tech firms have already set up shop
- Education: Duquesne, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, Art Institute, medical schools, law schools, and many others (68+)
- Sports: NFL, MLB, NHL, Pitt
- Scenic Landscape: bridges, hills, and rivers; plus, distinct walk-able neighborhoods (reminds us of Portland, Oregon--before it got expensive and trendy, of course)
- Geographically Compact: low sprawl, relatively speaking; not overcrowded
- Affordable: residential housing , commercial buildings, and labor
- Infrastructure: it’s ‘scalable’ since the city was once an industrial powerhouse
- Accessible: short distance to NYC, DC, Toronto, and long-weekend vacation spots (mountains, parks, lakes, etc.)