Amazon’s “HQ2” Should Come to Atlanta

Amazon is looking for a $5-billion-or-more “full equal” second headquarters with some 50,000 jobs to be based somewhere in North America. Atlanta is the best option. 

While I extol the virtues of Atlanta in particular, the entire state is a boon for businesses and I’d be happy if HQ2 lands anywhere in the Peach State.

Georgia is a fantastic state to do business, number one by some metrics–and Amazon loves it some metrics.

Atlanta is a logistical dream for Amazon, and if Amazon loves anything more than metrics it is logistics.

The city has four world-class business schools churning out the needed MBAs to run Amazon, a time zone advantage over Seattle, far superior weather, a massive tech-savvy industry, a desirable city for retaining talent, plenty of real estate to build a new hub….honestly I could keep going.

What other cities could rival Atlanta? Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston (where Amazon already is invested heavily) et al–they all have terrible weather, high costs of business and a lack of land.

Miami, the NC Research Triangle, Nashville, Austin those all seem to be the areas we’ll have to compete with and they all offer many of the same benefits of Atlanta.

 

Am I biased? Yes. No.

Believe me, Amazon.

 

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