Amazon's HQ2 announcement is imminent. Here's a look at the final contenders.

[brooklynite]

Recode:

After more than a year of fanfare, competition and city government prostrations, Amazon’s announcement of its second headquarters location is imminent.

Back in September 2017 the e-commerce company first asked for proposals from North American cities on where to house its HQ2, which would come with 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in capital spending for the winning city.

Amazon said it was looking for a city equal to its Seattle headquarters and would preference those with lots of tech talent, good public transit and attractive tax exemptions. After receiving more than 200 proposals, Amazon culled those to 20 finalists in January.

While Amazon has been mum about the winning city, plenty of people have placed their bets. NYU business professor Scott Galloway told a Code Commerce audience last month that the competition was a “ruse” and a game that was “over before it started.” He said that Amazon has planned all along to locate its second headquarters in the Washington, D.C., area, thanks to its proximity to CEO Jeff Bezos’s home and, more importantly, federal lawmakers.

[Loki Liesmith]

1. Yeah it's alwsys been DC metro

[FSogol]

2. Northern Virginia. n/t

[Loki Liesmith]

3. Good enough for govt work

No functional difference as far as my employer is concerned...

[GoCubsGo]

4. I'll bet it goes to Toronto.

I'm sure Bezos loves their government-funded healthcare.

[irisblue]

5. List as of Jan 18, 2018, 9:48am from Recode

"Amazon’s 20 finalists to host its HQ2 basically include all the major cities you’d expect."

snip...Here’s the full list:

Atlanta, Ga.
Austin, Texas
Boston, Mass.
Chicago, lll.
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colo.
Indianapolis, Ind.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Miami, Fla.
Montgomery County, Md.
Nashville, Tenn.
Newark, N.J.
New York City, N.Y.
Northern Virginia, Va.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Raleigh, N.C.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Washington. D.C.

[Phentex]

6. I think Atlanta has been ruled out...

at least I hope I heard that.

[JCMach1]

7. Texas triangle is the new Silicon Valley... I am expecting a TX city...

[LisaM]

8. I live in Seattle. I feel sorry for whichever city "wins" this.

Say hello to evictions, higher housing costs, strained public resources, constant construction, traffic gridlock, and tens of thousands of workers pouring into a location that doesn't have the space to handle it. Oh, and empty storefronts.

[brooklynite]

9. Where are you seeing empty storefronts and how are they attributed to Amazon?

(I'm in Seattle 2-3 times a year)

[LisaM]

10. Oh, I counted at least ten empty storefronts (downtown) yesterday on a lunchtime walk.

I think it's an indirect connection, but rents have soared as Amazon snaps up all the real estate, and small shop owners can't compete. Just a couple of weeks ago, a small market that's been there about ten years and sold deli stuff, wine, cheese, etc., closed without warning. A block away, a hatter who'd been around for decades was suddenly gone (forced out, his business was okay, see Bernie Utz hats). I shopped at the wine/deli store frequently, it was right next to my bus stop, and now it's dark inside.

The other indirect link is online shopping and the buying habits of tech workers. They shop online at a significantly higher level, order food delivered, and seem to prefer chains (not just the little wine/deli is gone, but the place where I used to eat lunch across the street was knocked down a couple of years ago, in all, I counted thirty five spots where I used to eat lunch that are gone). In the building where my bank is, a number of businesses were pushed out about ten years ago. I counted yesterday, five of those spots are empty. Three closed within the last year, and one within the last week. In that case, I know that the landlord pushed people out seeking higher rents. My eye doctor and a newsstand where I shopped were two of the casualties. Both spots are currently empty.

The affordable hotel where a lot of my friends stayed was a victim of the wrecking ball a few years ago - knocked down for Amazon headquarters, with these tasteless glass balls in front of the building. It was one of two affordable hotels I knew of; the other was on Queen Anne, and Amazon bought that one too.

But yeah, empty storefronts everywhere.