Amazon names top 20 finalists
E-commerce giant expected to make HQ2 decision this year
SEATTLE – Amazon named 20 finalists Thursday in the race to win its second headquarters, narrowing the pool of cities and states competing to secure an expected 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in investment.
They are: Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Denver; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Miami; Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; New York City; Northern Virginia; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Raleigh, North Carolina; Toronto; and Washington, D.C.
In general, the list clearly show’s Amazon’s interest in moving outside its current geographic comfort zone in the western U.S. Despite bids from Vancouver, Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, the closest city that made the short list was Los Angeles, more than 1,000 miles south of Seattle. The nest closest Western choice, Denver, is 1,300 miles southwest.
Amazon’s picks lean heavily east and in the sun belt. Not unsurprisingly given its tech-heavy and university-dotted cities, the northeast gets a lot of love.
The south did best, if you consider Washington, D.C., and environs part of it.
An interesting geographical anomaly is the D.C. area. Montgomery County, Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., all made it to the second round. That means 15 percent of the possibilities are in or next to the federal government — presumably important because of Amazon’s increasing visibility in the national economy and need to keep Washington on its side.
Amazon announced its search for a second, but equal, headquarters in September. Its requirements, laid out in a request for proposals, included that the winner be a metropolitan area with more than 1 million people, have a “stable and business-friendly environment,” and be in “urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent.” At least 238 cities and regions in the United States and Canada applied. The deadline to submit an application was Oct. 19.