The author a popular guide to best places claims the new Amazon HQ2 site will be located in a small northern Virginia community near the Maryland border.
Bert Sperling of Sperling’s Best Places says that the site is in Loudon County, Virginia – about 35 miles west of Washington DC. The site would be on the planned Silver Line of the Washington Metro rapid transit system and has close access to Dulles airport.
Philadelphia and northern Delaware were among the areas that made a bid for the Amazon site. Delaware was ruled out, but remained one of the finalists, raising hopes that picking Philadelphia would have spillover effects for New Castle County.
Delaware out of the running for Amazon site; Philly still in the mix
Of late, speculation has centered on the Washington, D.C. area, which has a large technology presence. Tech pioneer AOL was founded in northern Virginia and the tech community is vast, thanks to the presence of the U.S. government.
Also, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has a home in the nation’s capital and owns the Washington Post newspaper.
Sperling pinpointed the site the site of the new Amazon HQ2 will be the unincorporated community of Oatlands, VA.
“While Oatlands, Virginia might not have the existing resources to make it a relocation target for other large businesses, it’s perfect for Amazon,” Sperlings stated.
Sperlings went on to note that Amazon was leaning toward an East Coast location that would not result in as much exposure to Amazon and Bezos as “lightning rods.”
“Conservative state and local politicians in other areas may very well attack Amazon to appeal to their electorate, making business there risky, costly and unstable. Earlier this year, this happened in Georgia when legislators stripped out a $50 million tax exemption to punish Delta Airlines for cutting ties to the NRA,” Sperlings noted.
With the complex attracting as many as 200,000 people, the site had to be near a “mega metro area.
“Amazon has proven itself to bold and creative, and building their own city in Oatlands, Virginia certainly fits that mold,” Sperling stated.
