Sorry Dallas, Amazon's 2nd Headquarters To Be In NYC, Virginia

DALLAS, TX --After what amounted to a 230 city game of speed dating, Amazon has selected New York City and the Washington, D.C. suburb of Arlington, Virginia, as the homes for its second headquarters. Dallas was selected as one of 20 finalists Jan. 18 and was rumored to be one of three finalists less than two weeks ago. Yet, as it turns out, Long Island City and northern Virginia proved too attractive to pass up.

"Amazon today announced that we have selected New York City and Arlington, Virginia, as the locations for our new headquarters. Amazon will 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," the company said in a news release.

As part of its offer, Dallas created a password protected website and a 253-page spiral book showcasing 60 sites in 23 cities across the area, the Dallas Morning News reported. Tax incentives were also offered to the company, the Morning News added. In the end, it wasn't enough.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have been eager to draw Amazon to New York, saying the move would provide an economic boost. Cuomo has said the state has an incentive package ready for the company, though its exact contents are unknown.

"We're talking about the single biggest economic development deal in the history of New York City," de Blasio said Monday on NY1. "We're talking about a number of jobs that would make this company the single largest private employer in the city, when it fully plays out."

But Amazon's plans have drawn concerns from several elected officials in Queens skeptical of giving the company big tax breaks to move to an already exploding neighborhood.

"Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here," U.S. Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will soon represent parts of Queens, said on Twitter.

Staff writer Noah Manskar contributed to this report

(Lead image: Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)