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Amazon Picks Prime Real Estate in New York and Virginia for HQ2

New HQ will be split between two established locations.

Amazon is expected to announce Tuesday the conclusion of its high-profile, 14-month-long search for a second headquarters, splitting its new “HQ2,” which will employ 25,000 people, between the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia, and the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York. The announcement dashes hopes of a new tech hub emerging in a regional city in Middle America as many observers had hoped. Crystal City was originally built in the 1960s and 1970s to house defense contractors but has in recent years become home to a growing number of tech startups. Amazon’s Seattle headquarters is home base to 45,000 staffers.