When it comes to sunshine, cities can’t beat Yuma

Several offer good weather to Amazon as company seeks second HQ location

Nice try, Denver. Amazon is on the prowl for a location for a second headquarters, and dozens of cities have actively attempted to lure the company by marketing their city’s selling points.

According to the Associated Press, Amazon is promising $5 billion of investment and 50,000 jobs over the next 15 years, but there’s a catch: the winning city would have to provide Amazon with generous tax breaks and “other incentives that can erode a city’s tax base.”

Is it worth it? We think perhaps it is. Amazon would bring an educated workforce with a stable income to the table, which in turn would be a significant driver for the local economy.

However, one of the selling points advertised by some of the cities has us giggling, just a little.

According to the AP, Denver is pushing the fact that it has 300 days of sunshine a year. However, we found a report on Denver’s CBS station that notes the 300 days claim stems from counting “every day when the sun came out for at least one hour.” Hmm … that’s a bit questionable.

Austin, Texas, was also touting its sunny weather to Amazon, claiming “300 sunny days and outdoor activities,” the AP notes, while Albuquerque, N.M., claims “310 cloudless days,” AP reports.

But if we are going to talk about sunny skies — truly sunny skies — how can you beat Yuma?

In our fair city, it’s sunny 91 percent of the time from sunrise to sunset — none of this “at least one hour a day” business.

In fact, a Weather Channel report notes that Yuma averages more than 4,000 hours of sunny weather every year, out of a possible 4,456! We even hold the Guinness World Record as the sunniest city on Earth.

AP reports that part of the weather ploy may be tied to Seattle. The city is Amazon’s home, and the weather there is notoriously rainy.

But really, who thinks of Denver when one thinks of sunshine? When we think of Denver, we think about snow, skiing and the Broncos.

If we think of sunshine, we think of home. (And an added bonus? Our winters are spectacular — and don’t involve shoveling any snow whatsoever).

But we have to admit, it is rather entertaining to see cities campaigning on their sunshine days, when frankly, Yuma has the sunshine market cornered.

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?