Can Amazon H2Q Set Up IT Shop In Aurora?

AURORA, IL — Amazon’s second headquarters has another reason to land in Aurora aside from its ready-and-able workforce. Fifty-six miles of high-speed fiber optic lay within the city from a nonprofit OnLight Aurora, which makes it a suitable location for Amazon’s information technology Department, even if Chicago gets the bid. The Aurora Beacon-News reported on the possibility.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin has said the city remains a realistic spot for the online retailer's information technology department. » via Aurora Beacon-News

The Beacon adds other tech companies and Aldi's IT building have been lured by the vast network, as well. Concerns about how the state manages its finances are not enough to deter the bid committee from touting the benefits Chicago offers. Namely, the numbers and grit of a Chicagoland workforce. A recent Thumbtack study, however, found through a small business owner survey that Illinois is not business friendly.

Image: Reed Saxton/Associated Press