Northern Virginia, D.C., and Montgomery County are each included on Amazon’s just-released list of the top 20 finalists for its second headquarters. The other 17 metropolitan areas to make the cut are:
• Atlanta, GA
• Austin, TX
• Boston, MA
• Chicago, IL
• Columbus, OH
• Dallas, TX
• Denver, CO
• Indianapolis, IN
• Los Angeles, CA
• Miami, FL
• Nashville, TN
• Newark, NJ
• New York City, NY
• Philadelphia, PA
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Raleigh, NC
• Toronto, ON
The competition is fierce, as Amazon plans to invest over $5 billion and accommodate as many as 50,000 employees at its “HQ2.” In a statement, Amazon revealed that a total of 238 communities submitted proposals and that a decision would be made by the end of 2018.