As you may have heard, Amazon has officially decided to split its HQ2 between two locations: Crystal City, Va. and Queens, New York. The news broke this morning.
This means that the two spots will receive $5 billion via construction investments, with an estimated 25,000 jobs each, Amazon said in a statement. For everyone else, the announcement marks the conclusion of more than a year of speculation as to where the new HQ would land and more than 200 applications from cities eager to earn the distinction.
Although Providence was Axios AM newsletter author Mike Allen's pick for HQ2 recipient (and government officials said that "Rhode Island is in a position to make a competitive application"), Rhode Island's Amazon journey ended in January of this year after submitting a proposal in October 2017.
Said proposal included seven potential addresses for HQ2, including Providence, Warwick, Richmond, North Kingstown and Woonsocket. Gov. Gina Raimondo declined to publish the state's application, as some other applicants had, saying she wanted the state to “be in the best possible position to negotiate,” an AP report states. However, Matt Sheaff, of the state’s economic development agency CommerceRI, said in an additional RINPR report that a boon for Rhody was its ability to woo large businesses, like Johnson and Johnson and GE Digital.
However, adding Amazon to the list was not to be.
“Though it was a long shot, we’re glad we gave it a shot,” Sheaff told Rhody Inno when the new broke. “Rhode Island put in a serious bid for Amazon’s HQ2 and we’re told it was well received. We are in ongoing discussions with the company about other opportunities in Rhode Island.”
While the Ocean State has had time to become accustomed to Amazon’s dismissal, others are just beginning to process the news today. Below, we’ve rounded up a number of takes on Twitter and beyond.
Curious how other cities around the Inno network are feeling about the news? We’ve got you covered.
Boston: Amazon Ends Its Year-Long Search for HQ2 by Picking NYC and Arlington, Virginia Chicago: Chicago Loses Out on Amazon HQ2. And That’s OK. D.C.: Amazon Picks Northern Virginia’s Crystal City and New York City For Split HQ2
Other Interesting Reads:
- On Cincy and Amazon: Documents Detail Cincinnati’s Failed Courtship of Amazon HQ2(WCPO Cincinnati)
- Amazon’s HQ2 Spectacle Should Be Illegal (The Atlantic)
- Amazon’s HQ2 Will Benefit From New York City. But What Does New York Get? (The New York Times)
- Would Amazon’s HQ2 Really Be Good for Washington? (The Washingtonian)
- Amazon HQ2 Splits in Two — For Good Reason (The Hill)
Twitter Takes (Both funny and serious alike):
