Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN's search for a city to house its second headquarters — "HQ2" — remains in progress and many experts are offering their analysis on which cities stand the best chance of nabbing the development.
What You Need To Know
CNBC combined its proprietary data from its 2017 America's Top States for Business study and information from the Census Bureau. Since it is known that Amazon demands access to mass transit, an international airport, a talented labor pool, a strong university and a diverse population. From this,
CNBC listed the following cities of having the best chance of hosting Amazon's second headquarters:
- Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Greensboro-High Point, North Carolina (overall grade: B): The three areas each boast one of the best workforces in the country but lack a compelling mass transportation system, CNBC said.
- Atlanta, Georgia (overall grade: B-): Georgia is home to the best economy in the country, with an "abundant and well-educated" population, according to the report.
- Washington, D.C./Virginia (overall grade: B-): A slew of business-friendly laws in Virginia coupled with Washington's pool of educated workers makes it a contender despite being an expensive city to live in, CNBC said.
- Austin, Houston and Dallas, Texas (overall grade: B-): Texas is ranked No. 1 in the country in infrastructure and boasts generous incentive policies at the state level, according to CNBC.
What's Next?
Amazon received a total of 238 proposals and the unfortunate reality is most cities don't "have a prayer of winning," CNBC reported. The winning city will likely be confirmed in 2018 with construction on the new headquarters slated to begin for 2019, GeekWire said.
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