How Do Texans Think Amazon HQ2 Would Change Their Cities?

With Austin and Dallas still in the running for the tech giant’s HQ2 project, locals are thinking about the impact winning the facility would have on rents, transportation, the environment and education.

By Alain StephensFebruary 22, 2018 10:30 am, ,

Coverage of Amazon’s well-publicized search for a city that could house the company’s second headquarters, known as HQ2, has typically focused on what the company needs from a host city –infrastructure, public transportation, tax breaks, etc. But what about the needs of the community Amazon chooses? Digital savant Omar Gallaga of the Austin American-Statesman’s 512 Tech says he and his reporting colleagues talked to a number of people in Austin to find out how they feel about the company potentially settling there.

“I was kind  surprised that there was a much more nuanced view… People have really thought about this very carefully,” Gallaga says. “And what we were getting from people was – yes, rents are probably going to go up if this happens in Austin.”

What you’ll hear in this 

– What problems Austinites feel Amazon could bring

– What opportunities HQ2 offers

– How Amazon would change transportation in Austin or Dallas

– Whether people feel arts, education and the environment will be impacted

Written by Shelly Brisbin.