Amazon HQ 2 in Virginia tilt Virginia even further blue?

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/02/21/amazon-workers-unwittingly-reveal-potential-new-hq/

There's been a lot of buzz recently that Arlington, VA could be the front runner for the new Amazon HQ. If it is confirmed, would this basically make Virginia a solid blue state even more quickly than it's already becoming because of the influx of tech jobs?

[Not a Partisan Hack ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Why virginia? It's not even close to the mean center of population. Cities like Dallas might make more sense as the population moves towards the sunbelt.

[LimoLiberal]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/02/21/amazon-workers-unwittingly-reveal-potential-new-hq/

There's been a lot of buzz recently that Arlington, VA could be the front runner for the new Amazon HQ. If it is confirmed, would this basically make Virginia a solid blue state even more quickly than it's already becoming because of the influx of tech jobs?

Hey that's where I live! 

[Doimper]

I thought they'd go for Atlanta. Huh.

[LimoLiberal]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/02/21/amazon-workers-unwittingly-reveal-potential-new-hq/

There's been a lot of buzz recently that Arlington, VA could be the front runner for the new Amazon HQ. If it is confirmed, would this basically make Virginia a solid blue state even more quickly than it's already becoming because of the influx of tech jobs?

And yes, Virginia would become even bluer. Fairfax and Arlington would become 70-85% Democratic counties each.  And of course, population growth. Guarantees 3 Democratic seats in NOVA.

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Stop taking every little movement as a sign they have made a final decision. They axed 250 employees from Seattle and announced 150 positions opening in Pittsburgh. To me, that is a stronger sign, but again, don't speculate on everything.

[KingSweden]

Stop taking every little movement as a sign they have made a final decision. They axed 250 employees from Seattle and announced 150 positions opening in Pittsburgh. To me, that is a stronger sign, but again, don't speculate on everything.

And Pittsburgh would make a GREAT east coast focus city for Alaska Airlines, too...

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Stop taking every little movement as a sign they have made a final decision. They axed 250 employees from Seattle and announced 150 positions opening in Pittsburgh. To me, that is a stronger sign, but again, don't speculate on everything.

And Pittsburgh would make a GREAT east coast focus city for Alaska Airlines, too...

Actually, it would. We have a nice, big airport with no hub that is ready for anything.

We have the cheapest housing out of all 20 contenders, transportation is affordable and easy to access, we are a city that is inevitably going to boom in tech, and we have thousands seeking job opportunities.

[Tintrlvr]

Why virginia? It's not even close to the mean center of population. Cities like Dallas might make more sense as the population moves towards the sunbelt.

This isn't a distribution center. It's a corporate HQ. If Amazon cared about having their HQ near the mean center of population, they would have left Seattle for St. Louis a long time ago.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Stop taking every little movement as a sign they have made a final decision. They axed 250 employees from Seattle and announced 150 positions opening in Pittsburgh. To me, that is a stronger sign, but again, don't speculate on everything.

And Pittsburgh would make a GREAT east coast focus city for Alaska Airlines, too...

Or Delta, which is way better at SEA.

[Virginiá]

I thought they'd go for Atlanta. Huh.

If they are considering partisan politics at all, such as who controls the government (usually) and what that means for public policy in the state, it's possible they might want to avoid states with a socially conservative Republican majority in the legislature. Otherwise it could result in a situation like North Carolina, where a very aggressive conservative majority is constantly pushing policy that taints the image of NC and could make it hard to draw in workers. Republican-controlled governments have set some bad examples of stewards of the state's public infrastructure as well, which is not good for a big employer like that. Afaik, GA Republicans are not too generous in maintaining Atlanta's infrastructure.

Of course, this is just me theorizing, but there are some significant differences in the way Democrats/Republicans run states, and Republicans have been setting some bad examples as of late. In this regard, any competent political analysis would show that Virginia is unlikely to be controlled by Republicans for the foreseeable future.

[Indy Texas]

Why virginia? It's not even close to the mean center of population. Cities like Dallas might make more sense as the population moves towards the sunbelt.

This isn't a distribution center. It's a corporate HQ. If Amazon cared about having their HQ near the mean center of population, they would have left Seattle for St. Louis a long time ago.

Indeed. And, in fact, St. Louis used to be a major corporate hub and has hemorrhaged headquarters over the past few decades.

[JA]

Although I think Pittsburgh is the best choice of the cities on Amazon's short list, NoVA would be a good choice as well. Unfortunately, I imagine it'd simply make the COL there skyrocket even higher. I wouldn't be surprised to see the area reach costs rivaling the Bay Area within the next decade. Their only bonus is that they have less hostile geography with which to contend.

As for the politics of it, this will ensure that Virginia becomes a solid blue (Atlas red) state. Techies aren't exactly known for Republican politics and the way Trump and the GOP have alienated Millennials and many college educated voters won't help the Virginia GOP either. I imagine politics is a significant part of the consideration behind their final choice as well, which could discourage them from selecting a city like Atlanta because it's in a Republican-dominated state (for the reasons Atlas user Virginia noted).