Amazon's secret code word for its $5 billion HQ2 project has been revealed

AP

A man stands on a plaza on the Amazon.com campus as construction continues on three large, glass-covered domes behind him, Thursday, April 27, 2017, in downtown Seattle.

• Amazon's secret code word for its HQ2 project has leaked after being included in proposals from cities that have not made the cut.
• Several cities' failed pitches include mention of a "Project Golden" directly in relation to the HQ2 project.
• It's pretty clear that Amazon does see this as a golden opportunity for cities around the country.

The curtain is slowly being pulled back from Amazon's HQ2 project.

As records from cities and towns not chosen for the 20-city short list start to get released either voluntarily or through freedom of information requests, we're getting a better picture of what it was like to submit a bid.

The failed bid by North Carolina's Catawba County - revealed in records reviewed by the local newspaper, The News & Observer - shows the term that Amazon prefers to use when referring to its second headquarters. Instead of HQ2, Amazon's code word is "Project Golden."

"It is with great enthusiasm the Hickory [metropolitan statistical area] submits the attached response for project Golden (HQ2)," Scott Millar, president of the county's economic development office, wrote to Amazon, the records show. The letter was addressed to "Site Manager Golden."

This isn't the first time we've seen mention of Project Golden. Other pitches that have been released from Frisco, Texas; Cleveland, Ohio; and New Mexico also all make reference to it.

It's clear Amazon does see HQ2 as a "golden" opportunity for localities, with the promise of 50,000 jobs and a total of $5 billion invested into the chosen local economy over 10 years.

There are also some potential downsides to HQ2 coming to a smaller city, however, including the detonation of a "prosperity bomb" that could change its very nature. Still, most people around the country say that they would like Amazon's HQ2 to come to their city, and that the potential upsides outweigh the potential downsides.

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