Amazon (AMZN) still hasn’t announced which lucky city will be the site of its HQ2, but that hasn’t stopped a lot of people from trying to figure it out.
First, Wells Fargo’s AI program has predicted that Boston is most likely to emerge the winner. Then, the Puget Sound Business Journal pointed out that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s flight records show that his private jet has made repeated trips to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia—an airport conveniently located near three finalist cities.
And now ATTOM Data Solutions has taken it upon itself to rank 19 of the 20 finalist cities (it excluded Toronto, Canada) based on housing and quality of life.
There are some surprises. While Boston has been considered a favorite by many, the New England city came in at the bottom of ATTOM’s list because of its lack of affordable housing and poor school test scores. New York was next-to-last, largely because of its high housing costs.
At the top? Raleigh, North Carolina. With affordable homes, above-average school scores, and below-average crime rates and property taxes, ATTOM Data Solutions gave Raleigh the number one spot.
Following Raleigh, Atlanta came in at number two. Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Austin rounded out the top five.
And what about the three Washington-area cities located near Reagan airport? Montgomery County, Md. just edged it way into the top ten at number 9. Washington, D.C. came in at number 12, and northern Virginia number 13.