Updated: Two Cities Emerge as Front Runners for Amazon's HQ2

According to leaked information, Northern Virginia, Dallas, and New York City were in the lead in the competition to land the location of the second Amazon headquarters. Now sources report the company will split the HQ2 footprint between two cities.

2 minute read

November 5, 2018, 1:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Seattle, Washington

SeaRick1 / Shutterstock

[Updated Nov. 5, 2018]

The New York Times is reporting that Amazon has decided to split HQ2 into two locations in Long Island City, in New York City, and Crystal City, in Arlington County, Virginia.

"The company is nearing a deal to move to the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, according to two of the people briefed on the discussions. Amazon is also close to a deal to move to the Crystal City area of Arlington, Va., a Washington suburb, one of the people said. Amazon already has more employees in those two areas than anywhere else outside of Seattle, its home base, and the Bay Area," report Karen Weise and J. David Goodman.

Laura Stevens, Scott Calvert, and Tawnell D. Hobbs had the big scoop of the weekend [paywall]: "Amazon.com Inc. has progressed to late-stage talks on its planned second headquarters with a small handful of communities including northern Virginia’s Crystal City, Dallas and New York City, people familiar with the matter said…"

Reporting leaked information, the trio of reporters provide some of the first details to emerge on Amazon's process for selecting the location of its second headquarters since it announced 20 finalists at the beginning of 2018.

In another article that might be easier to access than the paywalled Wall Street Journal article, Jon Fingas reveals more details about the current status of talks in the three cities involved in late-stage talks, as well as some of the hopeful contenders that didn't make the news, like Atlanta, Denver, and Toronto.

Jeff Bezos, meanwhile, is still promising to make a final decision by the end of the year.

There was more breaking news today, as Laura Stevens reports [paywall] that "Amazon.com Inc. plans to split its second headquarters evenly between two locations rather than picking one city for HQ2." An article by Sara Salinas follows up on that breaking news without the obstacle of a paywall. The day concluded with the final details about Amazon working to finalize a deal for locations in both Long Island City and Crystal City.

Monday, November 5, 2018 in New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Red and white "Wildfire Evacuation Route" sign on signpost.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions

An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

July 10 - The Markup

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?

The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

July 10 - Shelterforce Magazine

Aerial of rainbow painted crosswalks at large intersection in Castro District, Sna Francisco, California.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts

Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.

July 10 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA