Amazon Reveals 20 Finalists for 2nd HQ

North American cities and regions have been going to "unusual extremes" to vie to become Amazon's second headquarters, reports the New York Times, and the online giant announced a short list Thursday, with just one city—Los Angeles—out of the 20 hailing from the West Coast. The rest of the chosen Canadian and US competitors (Mexican bids didn't make the cut) included what the Times considered "shoo-ins," including Dallas and Raleigh, NC, but also some surprises, such as Miami, Indianapolis, and Columbus, Ohio. "Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough—all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity," an Amazon rep tells the Times. "Through this process we learned about many new communities across North America that we will consider as locations for future infrastructure investment and job creation." Here the top 20:

• Atlanta
• Austin, Texas
• Boston
• Chicago
• Columbus, Ohio
• Dallas
• Denver
• Indianapolis
• Los Angeles
• Miami

Read on for 10 more finalists.

• Montgomery County, Md.
• Nashville, Tenn.
• Newark, NJ
• New York
• Northern Virginia
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Raleigh, NC
• Toronto
• Washington, DC

Read about what some places did to grab Amazon's attention. (More Amazon stories.)