OPINION| Barry Richard: Boston Amazon is Good for New Bedford, Fall River

Amazon anywhere in eastern Massachusetts benefits the New Bedford/Fall River area.

It didn't take long for the whiners and chronically gloomy to react on social media after Amazon announced that New Bedford and Fall River had not made the final cut as potential locations for its second corporate headquarters. Comments reflected the usual array of negativism ranging from inept and corrupt politicians on the take to crapping all over the city. Here are a few examples of actual posts to the WBSM NEWS story about Amazon's decision:

"They seen the joke this place and said hell no."

"And you are surprised ?"

 

"You have no idea the traffic problems it has created in Seattle- we wouldn’t want it here especially at the golf course site."

 

"No surprise. NB is a side road. Not many customers in Buzzards Bay and the Cape associates with the Boston market and lifestyle. NB was....no longer is. Just a dead parking lot for welfare society."

The reality is that New Bedford and Fall River are aging mill towns that are slowly rebounding after having been kicked time and time again. Neither city offers the types of things necessary to meet Amazon's needs. At least, not yet.

One thing is for certain though, despite the attitudes of a few naysayers, the region is a fabulous place to locate a growing company and will be an attractive place for giants like Amazon. The company has already shown a commitment to the region by locating its second largest distribution center on the Fall River/Freetown line to locate their corporate offices before long.

Boston's and Somerville's sites are still under consideration, in part because of the success of the Fall River distribution plant. That plant has meant thousands of jobs for our region. Should Amazon choose Boston later this year, that would mean another 50,000 jobs for residents of eastern Massachusetts and lots of revenue for the commonwealth. It would also give Amazon a second foothold in Massachusetts.

Amazon anywhere in eastern Massachusetts benefits the New Bedford/Fall River area.

Editor's Note: Barry Richard is the afternoon host on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from Noon-3pm. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.