Illinois submits bid to land Amazon HQ2

The state’s official bid for a Chicago-area location for Amazon’s second headquarters was electronically submitted this week.

The “HQ2” selection process has sent cities across the country scrambling to put together offers to try and land the much-coveted facility, which is estimated to bring 50,000 new high-paying jobs to the winning city. Gov. Bruce Rauner and the state of Illinois worked with the City of Chicago to develop the proposal, though details of the plan have not been released to the public yet, such as offers of financial incentives or potential sites in Chicago or the suburbs.

The state is competing against cities across the country to draw HQ2. Illinois’ diverse and established transportation infrastructure, as well as its wide talent pool and highly-educated work force, the large and diverse population, the numerous, world-renowned education and research facilities found in the state, and the attractive lifestyle opportunities, are just some of the benefits the state and region bring to the table.

According to a study by World Business Chicago, HQ2 would generate $341 billion in total spending through continued operations over 17 years. That would include $71 billion in salaries and wages, with an additional 37,500 jobs in the region supported by Amazon settling in the area.

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