Amazon Announces 20 Finalists for its Second Headquarters

"Amazon said on Thursday that it had whittled the list of possible homes for its second headquarters to 20, including centers of technology like Boston and some surprise locations like Columbus, Ohio," reports Nick Wingfield.

The list reads as follows:

• Atlanta
• Austin, Tex.
• Boston
• Chicago
• Columbus, Ohi
• Dallas
• Denver
• Indianapolis
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Montgomery County, Md.
• Nashville
• Newark
• New York
• Northern Virginia
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Raleigh, N.C.
• Toronto
• Washington, D.C.

As noted by Wingfield, the finalists tend toward the Midwest, South, and the East Coast—pretty much everywhere but the West Coast and the Silicon Valley. Los Angeles was the only West Coast city to make the final 20. The Washington, D.C. region pulled three finalists alone.

Planetizen provided a comprehensive roundup of media coverage of #HQ2 deadline day, which sparked a wave of interest unparalleled in recent years and raised continuing questions about Amazon's method for selecting a new home. Martin Austermuhle just this week managed to find out some of the details of Washington, D.C.'s bid for Amazon's second headquarters through a Freedom of Information Act request. Still, reports Austmeruhle, many of the incentives D.C. has offered for HQ2, including the actual dollar value to Amazon, "remain a mystery, known only to senior city officials and executives with the Seattle-based company."