Skip to main content

Amazon’s HQ2 has 20 potential new homes, but Atlanta may be the frontrunner

The hunt for Amazon’s second headquarters has reached fever pitch now that the company has unveiled the 20 finalists still in consideration to become the online retailer’s new home. One of the most popular contenders, however, is not on the list, and not even in North America — not our version of it, at least. Netflix tweeted that Amazon ought to consider Hawkins, Indiana, the fictional home of the hit Stranger Things, and the Twitterverse ate it up. Unfortunately, however, pure logistics will probably make this plan hard to execute.

hello @amazon just throwing Hawkins, Indiana in the ring for #AmazonHQ. if you're waffling we can offer you precisely 11 dollars

— Netflix (@netflix) January 18, 2018

Back in the real world, after reviewing no fewer than 238 proposals from across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, Amazon has narrowed down its list, with some obvious tech-friendly choices, and some surprises as well.

See finalists

Recommended Videos

One of the more interesting names on the list is Atlanta, Georgia, the city that demographic and place data firm Sperling Best Places has dubbed most likely to become Amazon’s final pick. As TechCrunch noted, Sperling has quite a record of success in guessing Amazon’s moves thus far — 15 of its 20 picks for finalists made Amazon’s recent list.

So why Atlanta? Sperling believes that the southern city’s location on the East Coast makes it close enough to hubs like D.C., Boston, and New York, but its geography is spread out enough that it would offer HQ2 plenty of space. Plus, Atlanta is quite affordable, and if Amazon chose to build on the outskirts of the city, it could avoid crowding, overpricing, and congestion.

While these are certainly attractive qualities, all of Amazon’s finalists meet the company’s requirements of having a metropolitan area, a population of more than 1 million, and the capacity to both attract and retain technical experience.

“Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough — all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity,” Holly Sullivan, Amazon Public Policy, said in a statement. “Through this process we learned about many new communities across North America that we will consider as locations for future infrastructure investment and job creation.”

Amazon will be working with each of the 20 finalists to take a closer look at their proposals and request additional information. The company will also have to determine how well the target city can aid in Amazon’s hiring push, and how well Amazon can benefit the local community. With an investment of $5 billion in this new headquarters and the promise of as many as 50,000 “high-paying jobs,” it certainly seems as though the ecommerce behemoth will be bringing plenty to whichever city it ultimately chooses as its new home. Amazon will announce the winner of the HQ2 competition this year.

Update: Atlanta may be the most likely pick for HQ2, according to Sperling Best Places. 

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app
A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Read more
How to create a new team in Microsoft Teams
Example of Teams chat.

Few communication applications are as versatile as Microsoft Teams. Along with allowing you to send quick messages to teammates or launch a video chat, the software is fully integrated with Office 365 so you can optimize its performance. If you know how to use Microsoft Teams, you'll know that one of its most useful features is the ability to create a new team.

Knowing how to make a new team and how to properly organize teams makes it easy for a company to enhance productivity and streamline communication. When used effectively, Microsoft Teams is useful for both in-office and remote workers, ensuring everyone stays on the same page regardless of location.

Read more
How much is Microsoft Office?

The Microsoft Office app on PC.

Microsoft Office, or Microsoft 365 as it's known today, is the full suite of Microsoft work-related applications. It includes iconic programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as more modern additions like Teams and OneDrive. You can use a number of these for free in their web versions, or you can pay a monthly subscription to use their downloaded, local versions.

There is no single price for Microsoft 365, as it's only available on the software as a service (SAAS) model, but the monthly cost differs depending on whether you're a home user or business user, and whether you're looking to subscribe for just yourself, or an entire team.

Read more