Amazon names locations for new US HQs

The decision comes 14 months after the tech giant kicked off a continent-wide competition by announcing a search for a "second headquarters" location.

The contest drew 238 bids, as local officials leapt at the chance to land a potentially transformative investment.

The three locations could create up to 55,000 jobs in the next two decades.

Amazon said it expected to invest about $2.5bn each in New York and Arlington, where it has planned offices that will host as many as 25,000 "high-paying jobs".

It said Nashville, Tennessee would become Amazon's new East Coast hub of operations, creating another 5,000 jobs.

In exchange, the firm is due to receive more than $2bn dollars worth in tax benefits and other incentives from the state and local governments. 

How did it make its decision?

Amazon had originally said it was looking to build a single "HQ2" in a large urban area, with proximity to a major airport and access to mass transit.

Read More (...)