New York Times: Prof. Fred Smith on the Bidding War for Amazon HQ2

The highly competitive bidding war waged by cities across America—and in Canada and Mexico—for Amazon's second headquarters (HQ2) hits close to home. Economics professor Fred Smith is quoted in a New York Times article about the hopefuls courting the internet giant, including Charlotte, North Carolina.

Smith says the explosive growth Amazon has enjoyed over the past two decades in its hometown of Seattle will be hard to replicate. Seattle offered a unique mix of available talent, proximity to a research university and even cheap electricity from dams in the Columbia River basin.

Can any of the 238 cities that submitted proposals equal Seattle's singular assets?

"There isn't an obvious candidate where they're going to get the same confluence of features," Smith said.

Visit The New York Times website for the full story: 5 Lessons Seattle Can Teach Other Cities About Amazon.