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Atlanta is the new favorite to land Amazon HQ2 among 20 finalists

By Patrick Schmidt

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 06: Chief Executive Officer of Amazon Jeff Bezos (L) and MacKenzie Bezos attend the 7th Annual Sean Penn & Friends HAITI RISING Gala benefiting J/P Haitian Relief Organization on January 6, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for for J/P HRO Gala)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 06: Chief Executive Officer of Amazon Jeff Bezos (L) and MacKenzie Bezos attend the 7th Annual Sean Penn & Friends HAITI RISING Gala benefiting J/P Haitian Relief Organization on January 6, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for for J/P HRO Gala) /
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20 cities are still in the running to be the host city for Amazon’s second headquarters but Atlanta is the new betting favorite, according to Odds Shark.

One of the biggest storylines from a business perspective in 2018 is what Amazon will decide to do for their HQ2. This has been in the works for some time as the e-commerce giant that’s pretty much taking over the world looks for a second headquarters to complement everything that’s happening at their Seattle headquarters.

This is one of the most competitive ongoing competitions of sorts and really reminds me of host cities bidding to host the Olympics. Many factors and variables will be considered by Amazon and by the host cities. Just imagine the economic boom that would happen to the city and surrounding areas and state if Amazon opened up headquarters. It would represent the biggest attraction to the area short of actually hosting the Olympics or getting an expansion franchise in the NFL, MLB or NBA.

Needless to say, it’s no wonder why the 20 cities that are finalists for Amazon’s HQ2 are waiting on pins and needles waiting to find out who will advance to the next round of cuts and ultimately be the host city.

Atlanta, Washington, Nashville, Austin, Northern VA, Philadelphia, Chicago, Montgomery County, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Los Angeles, Denver, Raleigh, Indianapolis, New York City, Columbus, Newark, Miami and Toronto are the 20 cities still in the running.

According to Odds Shark, the betting favorite to land Amazon HQ2 is Atlanta, GA.

All along, I’ve thought HQ2 would be located on the East Coast to complement the Seattle building, so it’s no surprise to see Atlanta as the betting favorite. It’s also no surprise to see D.C. as the second best betting option considering Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos lives in the area and owns The Washington Post.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of momentum for the largest cities on the list, New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, who are all in the picture but aren’t looked at as the favorite, or among the top group of favorites.

As a resident of Illinois who lives just outside Chicago, I think it would be great to have HQ2 come to town and all the positives it would represent as far as job creation and spiking the economy. But I’m not entirely sure why Chicago isn’t viewed as more of an attractive host city.

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Where do you think Amazon’s HQ2 will ultimately land?

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