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Amazon passes on Michigan cities' bid for HQ2

Detroit skyline
City of Detroit
Despite an ambitious proposal that included extensive tax breaks and over 4.5 million square feet of real estate, Detroit will not be Amazon's second home.

Amazon announced the 20 finalists for its second headquarters Thursday morning, and a grand total of zero Michigan cities made the cut.

Detroit and Grand Rapids were the only Michigan cities to submit bids to the company, which promises to invest $5 billion in the project and create up 50,000 jobs. Amazon says a total of 238 proposals from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada were submitted.

Governor Rick Snyder called the news disappointing, but added, "As a state, we will continue to pursue these types of valuable opportunities for our talented workforce."

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement, "I expect that the lessons we learned in the Amazon process will help make us more successful on a number of other major potential investments that we are currently pursuing."

Detroit business mogul Dan Gilbert was leading the committee for the pitch in Detroit. He added that although everyone is disappointed, "We are not deterred in any way, shape or form."

The cities that are still in the running are Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Indianapolis, IN; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Montgomery County, MD; Nashville, TN; Newark, NJ; New York City, NY; Northern Virginia, VA; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Raleigh, NC; Toronto, ON; Washington D.C.

Emma is a communications specialist with the digital team at Michigan Radio. She works across all departments at Michigan Radio, with a hand in everything from digital marketing and fundraising to graphic design and website maintenance. She also produces the station's daily newsletter, The Michigan Radio Beat.
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