Where Philadelphia ranks among contenders for Amazon's new headquarters
Moody's Investment Services says Philly has a decent chance to land Amazon's HQ2.
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Stonecrest, Ga., outside Atlanta, wants Amazon's second headquarters so badly that it's asked the Georgia General Assembly to rename an undeveloped part of the city "Amazon." Detroit wants HQ2 so much that it got the football coaches from heated rivals Michigan and Michigan State to cooperate with each other and wear #AmazonDetroit headsets during a nationally televised game.
But neither gesture is probably going to be enough to lure the online retailing giant, according to the latest handicapping by Moody's, the financial services company that rates bonds. On the other hand, Pennsylvania's offer of $1 billion in tax breaks seems to have made more of an impact than Tucson sending Amazon a 21-foot cactus.
Local Bids for Amazon’s HQ2
Cities' bids for the second headquarters become official Thursday.
In much the same way we created our own interactive tool to gauge Philly's chances of Amazon success, Moody's took into account a city's business environment, human capital, cost, quality of life, and transportation and came up with its own Top 10 list.
Keep in mind that the Moody's Top 10 list is strictly for entertainment value and not for the purpose of wagering.
No. 10 : Salt Lake City
No. 9: Boston
No. 8: Portland, Ore.
No. 7: Miami
No. 6: New York City/New Jersey/White Plains
No. 5: Pittsburgh
No. 4: Rochester, N.Y.
No. 3: Philadelphia
No. 2: Atlanta
No. 1: Austin, Texas
Amazon will make its decision in 2018. When you consider that Austin's vibe is too laid-back and cool, and Atlanta is too congested and hot, that puts Philadelphia at the top of the list.
More than a month ago, when cities got all tingly with thoughts about luring Amazon HQ2's possible 50,000 jobs, Forbes, Brookings, the New York Times and others handicapped the race.
In those rankings, Forbes and Bloomberg both said Amazon should pick Philly, and Slate put the City of Brotherly Love in the final four. The Times and CNN were more skeptical about Philadelphia's chances.