In early September, Amazon.com announced plans to place a second headquarters somewhere in the United States and asked that interested cities to be "creative" in their proposals. They also listed other criteria including:
A metro area with at least a million people
Stable business climate for growth

Skilled tech labor
A strong university system nearby
A metro area with features that young, skilled workers like
Quality of life
Housing costs and amenities
Restaurants, outdoor recreation, cultural attractions
Mass transit
East access to an international airport

This announcement has, as you can imagine, sparked great interest all over the country. For the chosen city, it's like winning the lottery. It would be a $5-Billion dollar investment with 50,000 plus jobs over the next 20 years. Just this week, Stonecrest, Georgia said it would rename a portion of its town "Amazon" if it were selected. That is creative.

The New York Times did the homework on what Amazon.com is looking for and found that Denver would be the ideal spot. It meets all the needs and would ultimately win the battle against Portland, Boston, and Washington D.C.

Let's pretend for a moment and say that Amazon.com does select Denver as it's second home. Where would be the right spot? They are wanting a layout similar to what they have in Seattle, which is in an urban area, about 30 miles from a population center, 45 minutes to an international airport, and very close to a major highway. They also have 8.1 million square feet over 33 buildings.

The Colorado Real Estate Journal released this week their research on which patches of land would be ideal for Amazon.com. They include:

Ridgegate Lone Tree City Center
Downtown Westminster
Upper Fox
Pena Station
Broadway Station with Denver Design District
38th & Blake/North RiNo
Elitch Gardens/Pepsi Center Parking/Water St.
Stapelton North

Some of these locations would be more advantageous than others, but they would all work well within Amazon's criteria.

Again, to win this Amazon.com "lottery" would be a huge economic boom for the selected city. Denver, while not committing to a name change to "Amazon" like the good folks in Stonecrest, Georgia, appears to be ideal according to The New York Times and The Colorado Real Estate Journal based on location and criteria. The other aspect of Denver's sales pitch will be the economic incentives they will offer to lure them to Colorado. The deadline to submit their proposal is October 19th.

I do wonder.....if there's an Amazon.com Headquarters an hour away from us, do we get our packages faster? That would be prime.

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