- Amazon has two headquarters.
- The original HQ office is in Seattle, and the second campus, “HQ2,” is in Arlington, Virginia.
- HQ2’s location was decided via competing bids from more than 200 cities.
Here’s a look inside Amazon’s two major headquarters: its original home base in Seattle, Washington, and the new HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia.
Where is Amazon HQ?
Amazon’s original headquarters in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, where the company holds office space in over 30 buildings. Due to the tech giant’s dominance of the area, many Seattle locals now call the area “Amazonia.”
Amazon’s Seattle presence has changed the city’s landscape in profound ways. Many long-term independent businesses have closed in the area, and housing prices and traffic have skyrocketed.
Where in Virginia is Amazon HQ2?
Amazon’s secondary headquarters is located in the National Landing neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. The first phase of the project, known as Metropolitan Park, opened in May of 2023.
The campus, which should be ready for 8,000 employees this year, is made up of two 22-story towers with over 2.1 million square feet of space. Metropolitan Park also features 50,000 square feet of retail space, plus ground-level public space and a 2.5 acre public park with a playground, dog park, and farmer’s market.
In March 2023, Amazon paused HQ2 construction, attributing the decision to a commitment to cost-cutting across the company. Earlier that year, Amazon layoffs wiped out 40,000 jobs, and some of the company’s cashierless Amazon Go stores were shuttered.
Why did Amazon choose Virginia for its second headquarters?
In 2017, Amazon invited North American cities to bid to house its second headquarters. It promised to invest $5 billion to build the new HQ and create 50,000 jobs.
More than 200 cities across the US and Canada vied to be the home of Amazon’s new headquarters. After about a year of lobbying and deliberation, Amazon announced that it would split its second HQ — and the 50,000 jobs and $5 billion — between two cities: Arlington, Virginia, and Queens, New York City.
The decision prompted an immediate HQ backlash, particularly from NYC locals and public officials. Their concerns included the potential increase in congestion, cost of living, and construction disruptions, as well as the billions in tax incentives New York City and state would be giving Amazon.
Amazon eventually canceled its New York HQ2 plans and moved forward only with its Arlington HQ.
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