Where Will Amazon Put Its Second Headquarters? 3 Cities May Be Finalists For HQ2

Amazon has reportedly narrowed its choices for a second headquarters from 20 cities to just three. Dallas and New York appear to be in the running against the presumed favorite, Crystal City, Virginia.

The Washington Post reported that Crystal City has been more seriously discussed than some of the other candidates and that officials at a local real estate developer have even considered a public announcement about Amazon’s decision.

Crystal City is located about five miles south of Washington, D.C., and near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

News reports about the potential final site selection still appear to be just speculation. The Post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, even noted Bezos' jet travel to the much-anticipated second headquarters, also known as HQ2.

Amazon director of economic development Mike Grella posted on Twitter that Bezos' flight patterns have little to do with where the company will pick its next headquarters. "The search team has earned his trust and the highest use of his time isn’t looking at vacant buildings and land -- he has a company to run," Grella wrote.

Amazon will reportedly select a site in November and that it will be for core retail and logistics.

Amazon had listed a number of requirements for potential sites, such as a metro area of at least 1 million residents and access to mass transit. It would also need to be located within 30 miles from a popular center and 45 minutes from an international airport.

Construction estimates for the headquarters are expected to approach at least $5 billion. Amazon, which has over 540,000 employees around the world, claims the second headquarters would be similar to its Seattle headquarters and could have 50,000 workers.

In January, the list of finalists was reduced to 20 metro areas and included Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, and Austin, Texas.

Adding an Amazon headquarters would be a boon for a local economy. The company estimated its spending brought roughly $38 billion dollars to Seattle from 2010 to 2016.