War Rooms, Tax Breaks, and Sappy Videos—It's Deadline Day for Amazon HQ2

Since the day Amazon released a request for proposals announcing its intentions to open a new, second headquarters, cities all over the continent have been lining up to make their pitch to bring the economic development bonanza to their town. Commentary on the subject of Amazon's impending decision has coalesced into several themes:

• Does Our Fair City Have What it Takes to Win Amazon's Second Headquarters?
• I Am an Expert on Cities and Here Is Where I Predict Amazon Will Locate its Second Headquarters
• Silly Cities Trying for the Second Amazon Headquarters But We All Know Have No Chance
• Amazon Wants an Urban Area for its Second Headquarters, but Options Are Limited 
• Cities Will Break the Bank Pursuing the Second Amazon Headquarters
• The Texas Miracle—Amazon Edition
• Any Headline With the Words Amazon and Trump

There might be some outliers, but that about covers it. 

Today, October 19, 2017, is the day bids were due on Amazon's request for proposals, and hundreds of cities have lined up to throw their hats in the ring. Twitter has been overwhelmed by the #AmazonHQ2 hashtag, local and national media outlets alike have mobilized to cover the horse race, and cities and states are clamoring to share the fruits of a month of over-time and multi-media strategizing.

So here is a compendium of all the media coverage, social media blasts, and promotional materials I could scrape off the Internet this morning, on this Amazoniest of days. I'll do my best to add more as I find more, and of course, we'll be waiting for the big day when Amazon is going to disappoint all of these bidders but one. For the record, I have no idea which city Amazon will pick, but I do have an idea that the prize might not be worth the price.

Cities Make Their Pitch

• Ontario to bid for Amazon HQ2 by investing in education, not offering incentives (Toronto Star)
• Here’s a Look at Philly’s Final Push for Amazon (Philadelphia)
• Baltimore is trying to land Amazon's new HQ with help from Goldman Sachs (CNN Money)
• 4 wildest stunts for Amazon's second headquarters: Cities compete for 50,000 jobs (USA Today)
• How much will New York offer Amazon HQ2? (Democrat & Chronicle)
• Somerville Amazon bid includes Boston (Boston Herald)
• Amazon primer: Detroit to submit HQ2 bid today (Crain's Detroit Business) 
• Does Long Island Have What Amazon Wants? (Long Island Press)
• Pittsburgh ships its bid — 2 inches thick — to Amazon (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Mayor Walsh On Focusing Boston's Amazon Bid On Eastie — And On Housing, Race And Education (WBUR)
• Walsh says Amazon bid will focus on East Boston (The Boston Globe)
• Metro Denver will push lifestyle, workforce over incentives in Amazon HQ2 bid (Denver Business Journal)
• Pulling together for common 'victory' (Crain's Detroit Business)
• Gilbert's elevator pitch to Amazon (Crain's Detroit Business)
• Mayor Emanuel and Governor Rauner Announce Submission of Bid for Amazon HQ2 (Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel)
• New Hampshire’s Amazon pitch: Boston is terrible (The Boston Globe)
• Cranley: City offered Amazon same incentives given to GE (Cincinnati Business Courier)
• New York City’s bid for Amazon offers up four neighborhoods, but no extra incentives (The Architect's Newspaper)
• Sources Say Amazon Incentives in the Ballpark of $2 Billion (WTTW)
• Boston's Amazon bid relies in part on nonexistent transit options (The Boston Globe)
• Portland pitches four-plus-one for amazon HQ2 (Business Tribune)
• A California city is offering Amazon a $400 million incentive to build its headquarters near the US-Mexico border (Business Insider)
• Pittsburgh doesn't shy away from painful past in video pitch to Amazon (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• To lure Amazon, Houston leaders point to 'innovation corridor,' disruption and diversity (The Houston Chronicle)
• Chicago's secret weapon in Amazon HQ bid: Captain Kirk (Chicago Tribune)

National Perspective

• Amazon says it received 238 proposals for 2nd headquarters (Associated Press)
• Amazon’s second headquarters: Expect the unexpected (The Seattle Times)
• As Amazon’s deadline for HQ2 bids closes, speculation on winner heats up (The Seattle Times)
• Amazon offered billions in tax breaks for second U.S. headquarters (Reuters)
• Deadline approaching for Amazon HQ2 bids (CNN)
• As Cities Woo Amazon to Build Second Headquarters, Incentives Are Key (Wall Street Journal)
• Amazon: More than 100 cities bid for new headquarters (BBC)
• Amazon HQ2 Bids Are Due Today — Here's What Bisnow Knows About The Contenders (Bisnow)
• Amazon’s Challenge Shows Importance of Good Transit for Cities (The City Fix)
• Bids for Amazon's second headquarters are due Thursday — here are the cities in the running (CNBC)

Department of Dissent

• Take it from us: With Amazon, you can get too much of a good thing (The Seattle Times)
• 'A Major Distraction': Is A Megadeal Like Amazon's HQ2 Always Worth It? (NPR)
• Amazon's new HQ2 could come with a scary consequence for renters — here are the cities most at risk (Business Insider)
• The Mayor of San Antonio Criticizes the Amazon RFP Process (Scribd)
• Prime Markup: How Much Would Amazon HQ2 Drive Up Rents? (Apartment List)
• Why Amazon’s New $5 Billion Headquarters May Ruin Your City (NBC News)
• Amazon’s Uneven Playing Field (Motherboard)
• Canadian cities in the hunt for Amazon's HQ2 — but is it worth the shot? (CBC News)
• Listen up, Amazon. Here's a pitch you can't resist (Times Union)
• All the Thirsty Shit Cities Are Doing to Woo Amazon (Splinter)
• Amazon: Come to Our Waiting Arms! (California Planning & Development Report)
• Why Don't We Build Amazon a Goddamn Stargate While We're at It (Riverfront Times)
• 'Til death do the Merrimack Valley and Amazon part (The Boston Globe)
• Amazon Should Just Build HQ2 In My Apartment (CityLab)

Institutional Offerings

• Toronto Region response to Amazon HQ2 RFP
• NoMa-Union Market
• Connecticut Is Prime
• Future. Forged. For All. (Pittsburgh)
• Philadelphia Delivers
• Amazon in PA
• Buffalo-Rochester Metro Corridor
• Worcester, Massachusetts Amazon Proposal [pdf]

#AmazonHQ2

Hey @Amazon, we need to talk... #LoveLittleRock #HQ2 #AmazonHQ2 pic.twitter.com/KQXkA2PB1i

— Love Little Rock (@LoveLittleRock) October 19, 2017

We ARE the Prime location for #AmazonHQ2 #greensboro #highpoint #winstonsalem pic.twitter.com/8slBP3OYVW

— Greensboro Chamber (@gsochamber) October 19, 2017

#RocAmazon: Regional showcase video for Buffalo-Rochester Metro Corridor's joint Amazon HQ2 bid effort. Do you think Rochester has a chance? pic.twitter.com/yIGyaOmEY6

— news10nbc (@news10nbc) October 19, 2017

Montréal's proposal box is ready to be delivered to .@amazon #AmazonHQ2 @MTLINTL pic.twitter.com/rx5kErOWFo

— christian bernard (@chrisbernard77) October 18, 2017

#Calgary has one serious campaign to be the next #AmazonHQ2 pic.twitter.com/JjgDJaeqzz

— melahn (@melahn) October 19, 2017

Today's the deadline for #AmazonHQ2 bids. North Texas is submitting a regional pitch. Watch the promotional video: https://t.co/PXqkgiE6FG

— KERA News (@keranews) October 19, 2017

City Council has passed a $400-million incentive package for our #AmazonHQ2 bid. We're thrilled to invite @amazon to explore #ChulaVista! pic.twitter.com/EHg9SpknXj

— City of Chula Vista (@thinkchulavista) October 18, 2017

https://t.co/QWGn4HBcAk#AmazonHQ2 #BlueSky # MilamCounty #Rockdale,TX @RockdaleMDD @JeffBezos @AmazonHQ2News @AmazonHQ2

— Kara Z. Clore (@KaraClore) October 19, 2017