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With Amazon bids due, how does Cleveland stack up against other contending cities?

Thursday is the day that bids are due to Amazon for their second headquarters. Cleveland is among the dozens of cities vying for Amazon. Here are others to keep an eye on. 

It is a decision that will re-shape one North American city. Thursday is the day that bids are due to Amazon for their second headquarters.

Cleveland is among the dozens of cities that are vying for Amazon and its 50,000 new jobs, many of them paying six-figure salaries to workers.

Amazon has said that they are looking for the following from a city:

  • Strong airport, namely flights to home base of Seattle.
  • Job growth in the region.
  • An educated labor force.
  • Sophisticated and easy accessible mass transit.
  • And a solid roster of colleges and universities

Let's handicap a few of the top contenders:

Washington DC:

-- The nation's capitol has a lot of upside – from schools to airports to mass transit.
-- The CEO of Amazon owns the Washington Post, and access to lawmakers as anti-trust laws change may be helpful.

Boston:

-- The Harvard and MIT pipeline into Amazon would be short and effective.
-- Boston recently landed GE's new world headquarters delivering a smooth transition from Connecticut.
-- Downside? It is quite pricey. Considered the 8th most expensive American city to live in.

Austin:

-- This city was ranked #1 by Moody's Analytics as the best city for Amazon
-- Tech giants like Google and Facebook already have offices there
-- 425,000 college kids already live there
-- Texas is very tax friendly

Atlanta:

-- Few cities are easier to get into and out of -- given it is home to Delta’s global hub.
-- Its home to a lot of big companies – Delta, Coke, etc. They know how to lure them.
-- Weather and east coast proximity is also a big plus.

Toronto:

-- Amazon has said they're willing to go international.
-- Canada's biggest city has a monster college base, a global airport, and with so much talk about cracking down in immigrant talent in the U.S. -- Canada may be more attractive.

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