Pittsburgh officially in running for Amazon's 2nd HQ

PITTSBURGH — Whether it's transportation, cost of living or downtown office space, city and county leaders are confident the bid offers Amazon great options and it could truly transform.

It's hard not to get excited about Pittsburgh and the surrounding area after watching the city's hype video.
               Pittsburgh makes every effort count ahead of Thursday's Amazon deadline

It's a feeling leaders hope will be shared by Amazon as the company picks a city for its second home.

“This is it. Future. Forged. For All,” Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, said.

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The Pittsburgh region officially submitted its bid to Amazon today, a move that could bring 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in investment.

WATCH: City of Pittsburgh releases heartwarming video for bid to lure Amazon

“This wasn't just something that came together in a little more than a month, this is something we have been doing and working on for years,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, said.

Part of the bid is a wide variety of potential sites for Amazon including Hazelwood, Churchill and Downtown.

Peduto and Fitzgerald stayed tight-lipped about the specific tax incentives offered, but told us they expect other factors to play a bigger role in the decision.

“What will bring them here is our cost of living and the amount of talent they can get for that cost. It is second to none in this country,” Peduto said.

It's a selling point they hope will get the attention of Amazon executives.

But the opportunity for neighborhoods and communities to rebound after being down for decades is one they don't want to miss.

"What we have is an opportunity to use this as a catalyst to see economic growth and development in parts of this city and parts of this region that have seen none," Peduto said.

The Allegheny Conference encouraging everybody to take to social media and use the hashtag #OurPGHQ2. The hashtag is to "continue to show Amazon and the world that the Pittsburgh region is a special place and that the passion of our people makes it stand out."

For inspiration, you can visit HQPittsburgh.com.

Amazon isn't giving a timetable on when it will make a decision on its second headquarters.

Cox Media Group