Amazon picks the Boston area as one of 20 finalists to host second headquarters

The Boston area is one of 20 finalists for Amazon’s second headquarters, according to the e-retail behemoth’s press office.

The other finalists are: New York, Newark, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Montgomery County (Maryland), Washington, Raleigh, Northern Virginia, Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Austin.

Metro Boston’s advance to the second round, so to speak, means that other New England bids such as one out in western Massachusetts did not make the cut.

The winner hosts a potentially 8 million square foot headquarters for up to 50,000 employees. A final decision is expected before the end of 2018. From Amazon:

In the coming months, Amazon will work with each of the candidate locations to dive deeper into their proposals, request additional information, and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership that can accommodate the company’s hiring plans as well as benefit its employees and the local community. Amazon expects to make a decision in 2018.