Twitter Reaction to Amazon HQ2 Bypassing Denver: "Bullet Dodged" | Westword
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Twitter Reaction to Amazon HQ2 Bypassing Denver: "Bullet Dodged"

Readers react to news that Denver was passed over by Amazon as a location for its second headquarters, dubbed HQ2.
November 13, 2018
Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock.com
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Denverites aren't bemoaning the news that Amazon will be splitting its second headquarters, dubbed HQ2, between two East Coast areas: Long Island City in the New York City borough of Queens, and the Crystal City section of Arlington, Virginia.

Indeed, most of the responses from locals on Twitter land in the zone between relief and delight.

When Denver was named one of twenty finalists for Amazon HQ2 in January, folks concerned about out-of-control growth and rising housing costs offered a notably mixed reaction. Wrote one Westword reader: "If this happens, it'll be the kiss of death. I really will have to leave Denver."

Doubts that Amazon was serious about the Mile High City began surfacing shortly thereafter, with the New York Times suggesting that the company was trolling most of the finalist communities for the purposes of data mining. And last month, Governor John Hickenlooper, who'd initially cheered Denver's top-twenty status, suggested that Denver was no longer in the running for the facility. During an interview on Colorado Public Radio, he asked the rhetorical question, "Wouldn’t they rather have their second big hub on the East Coast?"

Turns out the answer is yes — but Amazon, which is based in Seattle, has continued to play games in regard to Denver's status. A few days after Hickenlooper's remarks, we received an email from the corporation about something that was described as exciting news under embargo. It turned out to be about the opening of a new retail store in Park Meadows mall.

After news broke about the selection of New York and Virginia, there remained a possibility that Colorado might still be thrown a bone of some type. But the only other city mentioned in the official HQ2 press release was Nashville, chosen as the site of "a new Center of Excellence for its Operations business, which is responsible for the company’s customer fulfillment, transportation, supply chain and other similar activities. The Operations Center of Excellence in Nashville will create more than 5,000 jobs."

Still, most locals are happy that Denver finished out of the money. See what we mean by counting down our picks for the twenty most memorable Tweets about Denver and HQ2.

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Number 1:   This post has been updated to include information from the official Amazon HQ2 press release.
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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
Contact: Michael Roberts
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