Is Philly Still in Contention for Amazon HQ2?

Philadelphia technically still hangs in contention for nabbing the golden ring that is Amazon’s HQ2 home, but signs seem to indicate that other front-runners in the race are pulling ahead. Specifically, several experts think that the Washington D.C. / Northern Virginia area is primed to be chosen.

Money magazine gathered the input of five experts and quizzed them as to where they thought Amazon’s HQ2 would or should go. Of the five, there was a consensus on D.C./NoVA. Only one of the people polled said that he considered Philadelphia a best choice. In addition, the group collectively questioned Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ claim that the decision would be announced by the end of 2018.

What is causing these people to say that Philadelphia has lost its chance? Well, a piece published by The Wall Street Journal last week caused a ruckus by announcing that a handful of the “Top 20” cities had been treated to a second meeting by Amazon bigwigs with more questioning and details being discussed. Philadelphia did not receive such a visit. Now, while this could be because Amazon’s people feel that they have already covered all the bases with the City of Brotherly Love, it does seem at first glance like a bad sign.

Amazon’s courtship process for determining the site of its second headquarters has been a fairly unusual one, for sure. Philadelphia has made it this far, say the experts, by being centrally located on the East Coast, having a lower cost of living than competitors like New York, Boston, and D.C., and having an eligible and educated labor pool for the hundreds of well-paying jobs that Amazon is offering.

Only time will tell whether Philly and Amazon are a love match. In the meantime, speculation and conjecture is bound to run rampant from coast to coast.