Online retail giant Amazon is looking to open a second headquarters, away from its Seattle headquarters, and (surprise, surprise) Austin has been rumored as a potential spot. There’s a lot of competition; Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Toronto are each in serious contention. Amazon has projected that the campus would require a $5 billion investment and create 50,000 jobs over the next 15 to 17 years. The firm has a wealth of criteria it will need any suitor to fulfill, some of which Austin can: easy access to qualified IT talent, airport access, relatively affordable property prices – and others that could be more problematic, like good transit and public transport. Certainly Amazon’s recent acquisition of Austin-based Whole Foods could have an impact, as well as its recent opening of a major distribution warehouse in San Marcos. The company has confirmed that there is no short list as of yet, though the speculation has already fueled interest from Austin’s local government. Council Member Delia Garza has suggested that she’d be amenable to locating the office in her Southeast Austin district, depending upon its potential impact.

This article appears in September 15 • 2017.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.