Apple is reportedly exploring Northern Virginia and North Carolina as possible locations for its new campus, which will offer 20,000 jobs.
There is certainly something about Northern Virginia that is catching the eye of tech companies, as the area is also among the 20 finalists for the location of the second Amazon headquarters. However, that does not necessarily mean that North Carolina is the underdog in the bid to attract Apple.
New Apple Campus Location: Northern Virginia Or North Carolina?
In January, Apple pledged a $350 billion investment into the U.S. economy over the next five years, and part of that plan is the opening of a new Apple headquarters. Apple has since been scouting for the location of the new Apple campus, which it said will be announced this year.
According to multiple reports, Northern Virginia and North Carolina are under consideration, as the new Apple campus location.
Apple has reportedly told economic development officials in Northern Virginia that it will need 4 million square feet of space to accommodate about 20,000 jobs. The officials have proposed several possible locations for the new Apple headquarters, with two of the locations also offered to Amazon.
Meanwhile, North Carolina is still in the running, specifically the Research Triangle Park. The Research Triangle Park is a 22-million-square-foot research park that is close to NC State, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is said to be negotiating an incentive package to attract Apple, though it has not yet been presented to the General Assembly of the state. Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed the matter with state officials when he visited Duke University to give a commencement speech at this year's graduation ceremonies.
Apple And Amazon In Northern Virginia?
There are reports that Apple is actually really close to announcing a deal that it will be bringing up to 10,000 new jobs to North Carolina. Apple is said to be thinking about leasing office space and hiring 1,000 employees to start with, before it moves into a 300-acre campus in Research Triangle Park once the structure is completed.
If the report is true, it would mean that a scenario where Apple and Amazon will be building headquarters in Northern Virginia will be avoided. The region is already suffering from traffic congestion and overcrowding, and so the establishment of new headquarters by two major tech companies might present a host of problems for everybody involved.
