Amazon May Open 2nd Headquarters In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Here's some potentially huge news for Arlington: online retail behemoth Amazon is looking to expand with a second headquarters that would bring nearly 50,000 workers and $5 billion to the lucky city, and Arlington may fit the bill.

The New York Times reported recently that Amazon would accept proposals for Amazon HQ2 from state and local leaders until Oct. 19. The company wants a city in North America with at least 1 million people that has a strong reputation in the tech world. That certainly describes Arlington.

Arlington Economic Development spokeswoman Cara O’Donnell told ARLnow.com that the county would be pursuing the opportunity, although she added that it was "too early to say which specific locations would be under consideration."

Arlington won't be the only locality pursuing this massive economic opportunity.

The D.C. mayor's office released a statement announcing that they were evaluating the request for proposals to determine next steps. "D.C. is open for business and we believe we check the boxes for Amazon's request," the statement reads.

David Iannucci, Prince George's County's top economic official, told the Washington Business Journal that they would be in the running as well. "Prince George's can compete for this," he said.

This wouldn't be a little satellite office. The headquarters would be a "full equal" to Amazon's current Seattle headquarters, which spans 8.1 million square feet and includes 33 buildings.

There will be stiff competition, with Los Angeles and Chicago already announcing plans to submit bids. But Arlington certainly has a good shot.

Although there is going to be a lot of competition, one thing working in the region's favor is its sterling tech reputation: according to a CBRE report, the D.C. area is second only to Silicon Valley in terms of its ability to attract and grow tech talent.

Image via Amazon