But, let's turn it around. Why would Amazon want to go to San Antonio, instead of a city like Atlanta?
The next best thing is they set up HQ in southern Austin or northern Chicago (both shortlisted cities), and those cities benefit from residual investment.
Plus, SA has already played this game. It got them Rackspace. Which, uh, could maybe be going better.
I've thought for a while that commuter rail lines:
Along the freeways: 35, 10, 281, 151
Between big retail spots: Downtown, Quarry, Rim, Stone Oak, 1604/Bandera, Forum
Big Business: Rackspace, USAA, Downtown (again), Amazon, Lackland AFB, Kelly AFB, Brooks
And new parking areas near big residential centers: Bandera/Tezel, Helotes, Boerne, Stone Oak, Great Northwest, Brooks City Base
Along with parks renovation, school improvements on the South Side and small business incentives would make San Antonio the best place to live in the country.
There's a lot of potential here.
Besides Rackspace they have a bunch of defense contractors and USAA, but little else I believe.
Shreveport suffered quite a bit after the GM plant closure and drop in oil prices -- being so aligned to one sector was not in Shreveport's best interests.
