Cities in the United States did whatever they could to get the attention of Amazon. That's because it is the world's largest online retailer that had a contest where the winning city will become Amazon’s second headquarters. Along with the privilege of having the e-commerce company located in a city, it will also bring 50,000 highly paid jobs.

Many cities entered the contest. Some city officials thought it was better than bidding for the Olympic Games. Having the Olympics in a city is just a one-time deal, but Amazon will be around a lot longer in the lucky city that wins the contest.

Cities all over the United States submitted applications with their best offers. They are waiting to see if their city will become the second headquarters for Amazon. However, there will be only one winner with no runner-ups.

Amazon's contest

The contest began on September 7 and ended on October 19. The online retail giant received applications from cities up until the deadline. Amazon is building a $5 billion second location and is calling it HQ2 in the city that wins.

Along with the application, the Seattle-based company has a set of requirements. The city should have more than one million people. There must be an airport with direct flights to and from major domestic and international cities.

A very capable mass transit system is a must. The winning city will have the best schools, an educated workforce and a decent cost of living. If more than one city meets all qualifications and a tiebreaker is needed to decide the winner, economic incentives might be considered.

Because of the increase in the price of houses and excessive traffic near Amazon's Seattle headquarters, some city officials are not interested in the contest.

They are looking out for their residents because some people don't want to live in a large company town with the inconveniences.

Cities bidding for Amazon's second headquarters

Cities that really want to be considered did whatever it could to get the attention of Amazon. New York City lit up its skyscrapers orange because that's the color of Amazon's logo.

According to what is posted on Twitter, four locations have impressed Amazon. The places include Texas, Washington D.C., Colorado, and Massachusetts. The individual cities were not identified, and it will take some time before the winner is announced. Amazon said the highest bidder is not guaranteed to win the prize because other things must be considered. Each city will have to be investigated and vetted.

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