Many New Jerseyans sneer at the idea that Amazon might choose Newark as the location for its new headquarters.

Like they sneered at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. And the Prudential Center.

But they are both here, going strong.

Also going strong is the downtown construction of luxury, market-rate housing. About 2,000 units are going up in new buildings or restored historic buildings.

The new One Theater Square apartment building, across from NJPAC, has 245 units, and Shaquille O'Neal and developer Wasseem Boraie will open 168 apartments on Rector Street in the downtown by the end of the year. Next up for them is "The House That Shaq Built," a 35-story building with 350 units on McCarter Highway.

All around the downtown, in places like the Griffith Piano building, the New Jersey Bell building and the completed Hahne's project, new apartments are being built or now available.

This is important because Amazon wants 20 percent of its staff to be able to walk to work -- and be able to afford living there. Newark provides both.

Newark's pitch to Amazon is back in the news after the city council approved a $1 billion payroll tax exemption Wednesday, sweetening a deal that already includes $5 billion in tax breaks from the state. Amazon is predicted to bring 50,000 jobs to the city it chooses for the new headquarters.

So why Newark? Why not?

Amazon already has a formidable presence in Newark and New Jersey. Amazon's subsidiary Audible.com, a producer of audiobooks, is putting $100 million into the magnificent Second Presbyterian Church to create a tech center and already leases office space in other Washington Street buildings.

The internet shopping giant is opening warehouses along the New Jersey Turnpike as fast as Newark is building housing. It has seven distribution centers and warehouses, including a newly opened 1-million-square foot center in Carteret and Edison, and one of equal size planned for Florence. The company already employees 13,000 people in the state and is growing.

Why else? Newark is a transportation hub like few other cities, by land, sea or air.

Super container ships can now dock at Ports Newark and Elizabeth since the Bayonne Bridge was raised a year ago. Two interstates and the Turnpike traverse the city, and the airport is one of the most accessible in the country to a major city, for both business travelers and freight.

Newark's fiber-optic infrastructure is equally impressive. Audible CEO Don Katz lauded Newark's "lightning fast Wi-Fi."

Add the presence of Rutgers and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, which give Amazon hands-on opportunities to build a savvy and sophisticated workforce.

In addition to Audible, Newark anchors Prudential, PSE&G, IDT, Panasonic, and Broadridge Financial Solutions, and Mars Wrigley Confectionery is coming soon. It is a growing corporate city, with plenty of room for new building and expansion.

So why do so many New Jerseyans trash our biggest city? It's disheartening at times to hear so much negativity, born out of ignorance and fear. Yes, there is crime, drugs and gangs, like any other major American city. But this is a place clawing its way back toward an often-forgotten history as a national industrial force, led by insurance, chemicals, leather and beer.

Let's root for it. For once.

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.