With 20 cities in the running, the stakes are high to become Amazon\u2019s second North American headquarters. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n From Toronto to Austin and Boston to Miami, the race is on to claim the home of Amazon\u2019s second North American headquarters – provisionally titled Amazon HQ2.<\/p>\n The online retail giant claims it will investment $5 billion in the construction of the site, which will act as a full equal to its current business campus in Seattle and eventually produce some 50,000 high-paying jobs.<\/p>\n Amazon also believes the construction and ongoing operation of the facility will draw billions of dollars in additional investment and create tens of thousands of jobs in the surrounding community.<\/p>\n The only question remains which North American city will grab the brass ring.<\/p>\n Amazon has shortlisted 20 potential locations <\/a>for the end-of-year announcement and candidates have been bidding hard to win the contest.<\/p>\n The outcome of the race will result in no small prize. Amazon estimates its investments in Seattle from 2010 through 2016 resulted in an additional $38 billion to the city\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n<\/div> Over\u00a0100 cities in Canada, the United States and Mexico responded to the several phase 1 core requirements the company outlined which ended on October 19th. According to\u00a0Modern Cites<\/a>, these were:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/li> In recent months, Amazon has been working with each of the locations to dive deeper into their proposals, request additional information, and evaluate the feasibility of the partner city.<\/p>\n The mystery has naturally provoked the interest of real estate speculators<\/a>, many of whom appear to view Crystal City, Virginia, as the current frontrunner with shares in investment trust JBG Smith Properties, which owns a large chunk of commercial real estate in the area, flying off the shelves.<\/p>\n Yet others remain cautious. For example, Bryan Copley, co-founder of the Seattle-based real estate startup CityBldr, is raising $100 million for a fund that will invest in residential properties in Seattle, Los Angeles, and whichever city ultimately wins Amazon\u2019s second headquarters.<\/p>\n \u201cHQ2 is guaranteed to meet three criteria: tech job growth, tech job growth and tech job growth,\u201d Copley told The Real Deal. <\/a><\/p>\n\n
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<\/span><\/div><\/div>Speculation on the Amazon H2 headquarters<\/h3>\n