Coverage: Amazon receives 238 pitches for new HQ

Amazon.com Inc. has received 238 proposals from cities and regions across North America vying to host the company’s second headquarters, it said on Monday.

Jeffrey Dastin of Reuters had the news:

The number of applicants underscores the interest in the contest, which Seattle-based Amazon announced last month. The world’s largest online retailer said it would invest more than $5 billion and create up to 50,000 jobs for “Amazon HQ2”. The deadline for submitting proposals was Thursday.

Amazon said 54 states, provinces, districts and territories in the United States, Canada and Mexico were represented in the bids.

Some said this month they could offer Amazon billions of dollars in tax breaks if they were chosen. New Jersey proposed $7 billion in potential credits against state and city taxes if Amazon locates in Newark and sticks to hiring commitments, for instance.

Amazon did not disclose the range of incentives it was offered in the proposals.

Dennis Green of Business Insider reported that seven states did not submit proposals:

All US states except Arkansas, Hawaii, Montana, Vermont, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota submitted bids, according to a graphic released by Amazon. Provinces and territories in Canada and Mexico also submitted bids that Amazon said would be considered.

The deadline to submit was Thursday.

Amazon will now sift through the proposals, eliminating ones that don’t fit its criteria. The company says it will announce a decision early next year.

Amazon specified it was looking for an area with a low cost of living, an educated and tech-savvy workforce, high incentives, at least 1 million people, and close access to an international airport, among other requirements.

With these requirements in mind, some cities definitely have a better shot than others.

Kaya Yurieff of CNNMoney reported that some cities pulled out the bells and whistles:

Amazon says the new headquarters, dubbed HQ2, will be a “full equal” to its Seattle campus.

Cities have made elaborate and creative gestures in an effort to woo Amazon. Kansas City Mayor Sly James wrote five-star reviews for 1,000 random items on Amazon’s website; Tucson sent Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos a giant cactus; and New York City lit up landmarks like the Empire State Building in “Amazon orange.”

Amazon estimates that its investments in Seattle from 2010 through 2016 resulted in an additional $38 billion to the city’s economy.