Case Study: How Amazon Selected Arlington, VA for HQ2
November 13, 2021
In late 2017, world e-commerce giant Amazon announced it was opening a nationwide search for a second headquarters location to mirror its original location in Seattle. It sought an innovative location, one with a tech-savvy workforce and one that could meet the company's growing needs in the global technology space. More than 230 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada submitted bids to be the new home for HQ2. On November 13, 2018, Amazon announced it had chosen Arlington for HQ2 - more specifically the newly-branded National Landing area of Pentagon City, Crystal City and Potomac Yard.
The Deciding Factors: Being Near It All
From Arlington’s skilled workforce to its award-winning location, there were many factors that contributed to Amazon’s decision to choose Arlington, VA and the Northern Virginia region as a smart and strategic choice for business.
“Virginia put together a proposal for Amazon that we believe represents a new model of economic development for the 21st century, and I’m excited to say that our innovative approach was successful. The majority of Virginia’s partnership proposal consists of investments in our education and transportation infrastructure that will bolster the features that make Virginia so attractive: a strong and talented workforce, a stable and competitive business climate, and a world-class higher education system.”
— Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam
Tech Talent
Access to talent was one of Amazon’s key criteria for HQ2. As the country’s most educated region, Northern Virginia produces more computer science graduates than any other metropolitan area and offers a steady stream of talent as the country’s third-largest pool of software developers and the third-ranked tech talent market. In fact, Business Facilities magazine ranked Virginia as the state with the Best Tech Talent Pipeline and the top state for cybersecurity. The combination of depth, concentration and growth of talent available in the region, with additional tech talent production from Virginia’s world-class higher education system, was a major factor in Amazon’s selection.
Ease of Doing Business
Amazon, like most companies, appreciates a fluid partnership with state and local governments, and the company found that partnership here in Arlington. Virginia has repeatedly been rated the best state for business by CNBC, and Arlington's own leadership is committed to visionary leadership and innovation.
Accessible Transit
Northern Virginia has one of America's most robust multimodal transportation systems, which includes services such as Metrorail, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), an extensive bus system, vanpool, bikeshare and more. Even more unique, Amazon’s HQ2 in National Landing is within walking distance of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which offers nonstop flights to more than 95 destinations. They were all key factors as Amazon expands at a global scale.
Quality of Life
And of course, a company isn't choosing a location solely on the workplace innovation. It also has to be an area in which its employees want to live. Located just minutes from the activities of the nation's capital and near everything from wine trails to hiking vistas and historic small towns, Arlington provides a central location from which employees and their families can find plenty to see and do. The varied housing options, easy accessibility, excellent schools and outdoor recreation all offered an attractive location for Amazon's new location to not be just a headquarters, but also a home.
An Update: Going Far in Reach and Innovation
More than three years after that initial announcement, construction is well underway on HQ2, and more than 3000 employees already call HQ2 home. Three LEED Platinum office buildings, an immersive botanical experience, community plazas for farmers' markets and a double-helix-shaped building rising 350-feet are just a few of the latest design features proposed by Amazon for its new headquarters.
The company is on track to meet or exceed its goals of hiring at least 25,000 employees for HQ2 by 2030, and some of the company's most innovative arms are located here, thanks to the vast array of tech talent that already calls Arlington and Northern Virginia home. It’s clear that Amazon’s new campus will inspire innovation in Arlington — and across the globe — in a way only the world’s innovation leader can.
Continue to follow the story of Amazon in Arlington.