Cold? Doesn’t Toronto have a great network of underground pathways and shopping centers? Those make a whole load of difference when it comes to livability of the city in cold climates.
Does anyone else see a dose of coddling in some of our comments? We talk about CC parents being overprotective and coddling…how about businesses that need to worry about everything from weekend entertainment options to if it’s too cold/hot for their crew? Geez…! 
If you have your pick of cities, why not? Trust me, Minnesota wishes it could do something about their weather so more workers would move there. It is one of the hardest places to get people to move to for jobs because of it. Having just moved from MN to Seattle a couple years ago, Seattle’s worst winter is a cakewalk compared to MN.
I live in Kansas City, which is one of cities that is bidding for the new HQs. I love my city and wouldn’t live anywhere else, but I don’t think we have much of a chance. We have a crappy airport (which may be rebuilt, but it’s not a sure thing) and sub-par public transportation, which was on Amazon’s wish list. Our mayor did do a pretty funny video as part of the bid process though! http://www.adweek.com/digital/kansas-citys-mayor-reviewed-scores-of-amazon-products-in-sneaky-pitch-for-companys-hq2/
Who says the 50k employees would be US citizens? Toronto Metro is over 9 million people. They would hire. Canadians. Also, there is no law that a US company cannot expand to another country. The idea that since Amazon is an American company therefore they should stay in the US is ridiculous.
Yep, BB. Toronto does as does Montreal.
Great story that showcases some of the best videos created by various cities in the packages that arrived yesterday…Philadelphia’s is very nice https://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/why-amazons-headquarters-are-plotnick-diamond.html (it’s also a very funny & wry article written by an architect currently living in Toronto).
Moody’s Analytics has Philadelphia in the top 3 and then if you factor factor geography it is first followed by Pittsburgh.
@dj1028 Don’t knock KC out quite yet - it’s a border city, which means both Kansas and Missouri will most likely contribute to the incentive package.
There is an abundance of cross-border travel for employees of major corporations/banks/law firms. The problems with customs/immigration is much more likely to be from the U.S. side than Canada. People working in Canada will pay Canadian taxes. It’s the U.S. that will require them to also submit U.S. tax returns annually, even if the $$ isn’t earned there!
Unless you’re proposing something in the southern half of the U.S., the climate shouldn’t be an issue. Toronto’s climate is more moderate than many northern U.S. cities. In any case, are there really a lot of young Americans who can’t handle winter? Good grief.
I’d be happy if SC or Georgia were among the top picks.
New Orleans. Lock. Plenty of room in da East.
What would be the reaction here if it’s suggested that Amazon’s 2nd HQ be in Mexico or even China?
I’m pretty sure the execs wont choose to pay half their income in taxes in Toronto
“What would be the reaction here if it’s suggested that Amazon’s 2nd HQ be in Mexico or even China?”
Probably the same reaction if they pick Canada. Poutrage.
Is poutrage anything like poutine?
^lol!
Nashville or Atlanta.
Denver does if the downtown location(s) are picked. Plenty of downtown expensive condos and nightlife, the pro sports teams are all downtown, the theater district and other night life. Currently other yups are living in those condos, but if Amazon pays their people extra well, the rents will go up (more) and the current young execs can be displaced. There is also a lot of housing along the light rail lines which means a 10 minute train ride to downtown or several of the sites under consideration. And Denver is one of those cities where people ride bikes to work 12 months of the year.
But really, I don’t want to share my train with any more people. We’re already stuff in there.
I agree, lots of people ride their bikes to work in and around downtown Denver. (Scooters are huge here too.) Then if they don’t feel like riding back home because it’s dark, or whatever, they take the bus, their bike riding on the bike rack. It’s a little harder in the winter, tho… that’s when you see more bus/light rail usage, Uber and Car2Go around the city.
My concern is freeways around Denver. They were inadequate 15 years ago, now they’re barely tolerable… with tens of thousands of new residents they will become impossible.