A new survey released by the network CNBC puts Denver near the top of the list as one of the cities internet commerce giant Amazon may end up building its massive $5 billion second headquarters in.
The ranking comes as part of CNBC’s “Top States for Business” survey, which gives Colorado overall high marks in the areas of its economy, innovation, technology, and workforce.
In that ranking, Texas, Washington, Utah, and Virginia made up the top four slots, with Colorado coming in a solid fifth.
The new ranking describes Denver as one of the “strong contenders” for securing the new Amazon facility.
Of the twenty cities that Amazon has said makes up the finalists for the competition, down from more than 200 who originally made pitches to win the headquarters, only Denver and Los Angeles were based in the far West.
The CNBC ranking puts Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, and Dallas ahead of Denver, but says the Mile-High City “offers many similarities to Amazon’s current home, Seattle.”
The report also notes that Denver has a “strong and relatively stable business climate, a great workforce that is chock full of tech talent, and one of America’s top airports.”
The listing, giving Denver an overall grade of B+, puts it well ahead of such heavyweights as New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, all of whom were given a grade of B-.
Amazon has not said when it will announce where it will build its new facility, although some industry experts have suggested that that announcement could be made before the end of this year.
By Garry Boulard
