Amazon has published a shortlist of 20 cities and regions for a second headquarters it expects to create as much as 50,000 high-paying jobs. These 20 candidates were selected from an original pool of 238 bidders.
The new shortlist of candidates include:
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Boston, MA
- Chicago, IL
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Denver, CO
- Indianapolis, IN
- Los Angeles, CA
- Miami, FL
- Montgomery County, MD
- Nashville, TN
- Newark, NJ
- New York City, NY
- Northern Virginia, VA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Raleigh, NC
- Toronto, ON
- Washington D.C.
Cities and regions in this list were evaluated by Amazon based on its criteria outlined in its initial Request for Proposal which outlined requirements for consideration. These requirements included being within 45 minutes of an International airport, not more than 1-2 miles from a major highway, and with mass transit accessible directly from the site.
Of the cities that made the cut, Toronto stands out as being the sole Canadian candidate to make the shortlist. The remaining 19 cities and counties are located in the continental United States.
On the official statement outlining Amazon’s selection for its second headquarters, dubbed HQ2, Amazon stated that the new campus, “will be a complete headquarters for Amazon, not a satellite office.”
The new headquarters involves an initial $5 billion investment to grow the new campus and provide as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs. Amazon expects an indirect job creation in the tens of thousands with additional tens of billions of dollars invested in the surrounding city.
Throughout the selection process, numerous applicants offered tax incentives and other perks in an attempt to sway favor from the retail giant. A privately-funded gift to Jeff Bezos of a 21-foot saguaro cactus was made in an effort to give Tucson, AZ additional consideration. Tucson is not one of the final 20 candidates.
Amazon expects to make a decision on which of the 20 cities will be home to its new headquarters by the end of 2018.
In a press release announcing the new shortlist, Amazon stated:
“In the coming months, Amazon will work with each of the candidate locations to dive deeper into their proposals, request additional information, and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership that can accommodate the company’s hiring plans as well as benefit its employees and the local community.”
