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The online seller Amazon has announced a list of 20 possible places where the company might build a second headquarters.
Included on the list is the city of Toronto in the Canadian Province of Ontario.
Amazon expects the new headquarters, which Amazon calls "HQ2," to employ 50,000 people. Amazon estimated that, over the next 10 to 15 years, "HQ2" will generate jobs that average over $100,000 in yearly pay.
Thursday's announcement comes four months after the company first started accepting bids. The list, which was cut down from a total of 238 areas, includes major cities such as Chicago, New York City and Washington D.C. Smaller cities such as Raleigh, North Carolina and Columbus, Ohio were also included.
In the Northeast, Boston; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia and Pittsburg were selected as possible choices. Montgomery County, Maryland and Northern Virginia; and the southern cities of Atlanta; Austin and Dallas, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Miami are up for consideration.
Toronto was the only place chosen outside of the U.S. Los Angeles was the only city on the West Coast and Indianapolis was the only city in the Midwest.
Amazon's main headquarters is in Seattle, Washington.
Amazon's announcement marks the beginning of a competition between the bidders.
"HQ2" is expected to bring in billions of dollars in both revenue and secondary investment.
Amazon's plan for expansion shows the influence technology companies have on the economy.
On Wednesday, technology company Apple announced plans to create thousands of jobs and build a new campus.
Some of the competing bidders have publically announced their plans to provide Amazon with billions of dollars in reduced taxes if they are chosen.
Jason Lary, the mayor of Stonecrest, Georgia, near Atlanta, has proposed using 140 hectares of land in his town to create a new city he called Amazon. Lary said Amazon's chief executive officer, Jeff Bezos, can be the city's mayor for life.
New Jersey has offered Amazon $7 billion in tax reductions if Newark is chosen as the future site for "HQ2."
Amazon officials say they expect to make a decision sometime this year. The company plans to hold discussions with all 20 bidders about the project.
I'm Mario Ritter.
Rachel Dennis adapted it for VOA Learning English from a Reuters story. Mario Ritter was the editor.
