It’s not one region atm, if so there we wouldn’t have multiple chamber of commerce competing with each other. It’s no secret that Durham has especially loyal citizens, especially compared to Raleigh. They would not stand having someone from Raleigh tell them what to do. I mean just look at how Durham treats the current the Commuter Rail project–low priority.
So I bet Amazon was not happy about having to make a statement when Durham CoC and RTP representatives complained when Raleigh made the short-list. I bet they just wanted a simple development pipe line and not navigate a local political/commerce battlefield. Nashville was an easier choice. It’s one solid metro.