RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – BestPlaces.net, a website that focuses on what it calls “best places to live,” is the latest to predict where Amazon HQ2 will be located – and it’s not the Triangle.
Writes author Bert Sperling:
“We can now confidently say that the new Amazon HQ2 will be located in the Washington DC metropolitan area. It will be situated in Northern Virginia near the Maryland border, in a small community that hasn’t been mentioned by other experts or publications.”
His best guess is Loudoun County, Virginia in an unincorporated area that will soon have a rapid transit connection to Washington, D.C. and offers local access to Dulles International airport.
“Specifically, the site of the new Amazon HQ2 will be the unincorporated community of Oatlands, Virginia.,” says Sperling, who has received a lot of media coverage over the years for his work and website. “Hang on, folks of Oatlands – you’re in for a wild ride.”
Sperling cites no sources for his prediction, and Amazon has remained mum about the process other than choosing 20 finalists – including the Triangle – and saying a decision will be announced this year.
Three of the finalists are located in and around D.C., making the region a heavy favorite from the get-go once the finalists were disclosed late last year. Sperling cites the often mentioned connections for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to the D.C. area, from a massive home to multiple Amazon operations there, his ownership of the Washington Post, and access to such requirements as mass transit.
More coverage:
- Site selection exec says “self-inflicted wounds” hurt NC chances for HQ2, Apple
- HQ2 odds don’t favor Triangle
- Another reason why HQ2 may not be headed to Triangle – jobs postings
A top site selection from international consulting firm BDO also recently predicted D.C. as the winner in a Q&A with WRAL TechWire.
Oddsmakers also are making the nation’s capital a heavy favorite. And a recent report from a Seattle-based tech news website, GeekWire, noted Amazon already advertises more job openings in the Washington region than other areas in the final 20.
Sperling cites five reasons for his choice:
- “Amazon is looking for a great place to live, and they have the resources to make it a great place for their business. While Oatlands, Virginia might not have the existing resources to make it a relocation target for other large businesses, it’s perfect for Amazon.
- “As a global economic and cultural force, Amazon will want to span the country and the East Coast provides a gateway to Europe and beyond.
- “The issue of politics has been completely overlooked concerning Amazon’s HQ2, but is actually a major consideration in determining its location.
- “[Amazon] wants its new HQ2 to be located in a region that both reflects this influence and will allow it to become more of a presence among leaders and decision-makers.
- “Amazon’s new headquarters needs to be located near a mega metro to provide the resources necessary to support a major new business location.”
Sperling concludes:
“Amazon has proven itself to bold and creative, and building their own city in Oatlands, Virginia certainly fits that mold.”
