Amazon Makes It Official: Selects New York City, Arlington For New Headquarters
Amazon today announced that it has selected New York City and Arlington, Virginia, as the location for its new headquarters, making official a choice that had been widely reported over the past week.
The Seattle technology giant said it would invest $5 billion and create more than 50,000 jobs across the two new headquarters locations, with more than 25,000 employees each in New York City and Arlington.
“These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come,” Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in a statement.
Amazon stands to receive more than $2 billion in tax incentives across the locations. Up to $1.2 billion will come from New York State’s Excelsior program, which is a discretionary tax credit. In Virginia, the company could receive as much as $500 million in cash incentives.
The announcement concludes a 14-month long national frenzy, in which communities went out of their way to capture Amazon’s attention. New York City changed the lights on the Empire State Building to Amazon’s signature orange color. Tucson hauled a 21-foot cactus to the company’s Seattle campus. The Mayor of Kansas City, Sly James, wrote 1,000 reviews for Amazon products — giving them all five stars.
In the end, Amazon picked locations that would allow it to tap into an existing tech talent pool on the East Coast.
In New York, Amazon selected Long Island City, just across the East River from Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side — a location it touted for its blend of cultural institutions, arts organizations, new and converted housing, restaurants, bars, breweries, waterfront parks, hotels, academic institutions, and small and large tech sector and industrial businesses.
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo did a victory lap, issuing a statement touting the state’s success in luring Amazon.
“When I took office, I said we would build a new New York State – one that is fiscally responsible and fosters a business climate that is attractive to growing companies and the industries of tomorrow,” Cuomo said. “We’ve delivered on those promises and more, and today, with Amazon committing to expand its headquarters in Long Island City, New York can proudly say that we have attracted one of the largest, most competitive economic development investments in U.S. history.”
In Virginia, Amazon selected National Landing, an urban community in Northern Virginia located less than three miles from downtown Washington, D.C. The retail giant lauded its proximity to metro stations and Reagan National Airport, as well as the assortment of hotels, restaurants, high-rise apartment buildings, retail, and commercial offices.
“This is a big win for Virginia – I’m proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here,” said Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia.
Amazon also said it would open an operations center in Nashville that would be responsible for customer fulfillment, adding more than 5,000 jobs.
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