Of all the cities vying to become the Amazon HQ2, Atlanta figured it had a leg up on the competition: world class airport, sizeable downtown and entertainment district, affordable housing and MARTA.
But Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and team have been eerily silent on which city they will choose to bring 50,000 jobs to and $5 billion in investment. But now the world’s biggest online retailer has announced that it will have an answer before end of year.
Speaking at a business meeting in Washington last week, CEO Jeff Bezos said a decision on HQ2 will be made before the close of 2018. He didn’t offer any more clues though.
The Seattle-based tech giant announced Sept. 7 2017 that it would build a new North America headquarters in a metropolitan city with an international airport, touching off a frenzied national competition. The project is expected to ring tens of thousands of jobs and raise the profile of the region — wherever it’s located — immeasurably.
“Let’s be honest with ourselves: This is the largest economic development deal in the history of America,” Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle told the AJC at the time. “It would require action by the Legislature if we are successful. And I’m very optimistic that we can land Amazon in the state, and we’re in great position to do that.”
Company officials toured several cities as it whittled down its list, but Atlanta has gotten only standard treatment so far. If Amazon does pick ATL, it will inherit a city bustling at the seams yet still able to accommodate things like a Super Bowl and more development per square mile than any metropolitan area in the Southeast.
But does Atlanta have what it takes? Only time — and Bezos — will tell.