Chicago Lands On Amazon's List For 2nd HQ

CHICAGO, IL — As expected, Chicago has made the short list of 20 cities that Amazon is considering as the new home for the online giant's second headquarters, called HQ2, outside of the company's Seattle base of operations. Amazon is expected to spend around $5 billion building and running HQ2, which is expected to create 50,000 jobs in the area that's eventually chosen.

Chicago joins Atlanta, Dallas and Denver as the cities with the inside track of landing the new headquarters, according to observers. Indianapolis; Nashville, Tennessee; and Columbus, Ohio, are nearby areas that also made the first cut.

Communities across the United States began making a bid for Amazon's proposed headquarters in September after the online retailer announced it was looking to expand outside its Pacific Northwest home, which covers 8.1 million square feet, includes 33 buildings and employs 40,000 people. In order to be considered as a potential HQ2 candidates, cities needed to have more than a million people living there, and the cities and surrounding areas needed to be attractive to talented tech workers.

RELATED: Amazon HQ2: Shortlist Of Candidates Announced

Chicago officials submitted the city's bid in October, and it was one of 238 proposals Amazon received, Crain's Chicago Business reports. According to Crain's, the Chicago bid offered $2.25 billion in incentives and provided 10 possible sites for the headquarters, including spots in nearby Schaumburg and Oak Brook.

Before submitting a bid, city and state leaders toured Amazon's Seattle headquarters in September. World Business Chicago also looked at the effect building and operating HQ2 in Chicago could have on the area in a 17-year period. The group's study estimates that the project could generate:

• $341 billion in total spending, thanks to ongoing operations. That includes $71 billion in salaries and wages, as well as supporting 37,500 added jobs to the region yearly.
• $7.4 billion in construction-related spending. That includes $2.4 billion in salaries and an average of 3,500 added jobs annually.
• $2.72 for the area's overall economy for each dollar the company invests in operations and construction.

If Amazon expands its headquarters to Chicago, it would be another example of the company's continued investment in the area and the state. Amazon has an office in downtown Chicago that employs 200 people, and the size of that facility was recently doubled. A bricks-and-mortar store also opened in the Lake View neighborhood in 2016.

More Patch Coverage:

• Chicago, Amazon Talk About 2nd Headquarters In City
• Best Spot For Amazon's HQ2 In Chicago? Mayor Rahm Emanuel Wants Suggestions
• Chicago Submits Amazon HQ2 Bid

Amazon's presence in Chicago's surrounding suburbs includeds fulfillment centers in Joliet, Romeoville and Aurora. In May, the compnay said it would hire 2,000 full-time employees in Illinois over the next 14 months, bringing its total Illinois workforce to about 7,000 people.

Amazon's downtown Seattle headquarters (Photo by Elaine Thompson | Associated Press)