The decision of Amazon HQ2 is about to fall – here is what we know until now

• Amazon only has about two months left to choose the location of its second headquarters, HQ2.
• The last official communication from Amazon came almost exactly 10 months ago, in January, when it limited the number of candidates to 20 candidate cities.
• Since then, the only thing Amazon has said is that it will make its decision by the end of the year.
• Amazon reportedly made a second visit to some cities, including Miami and Washington DC, no later than in September, indicating that the search was not quite over.
• Nevertheless, betting odds and much speculation have focused on the Washington area and northern Virginia in particular.

The window allowing Amazon to name the location of its second headquarters, HQ2, closes quickly.

There are only two months left for the company to announce its decision to invest $ 5 billion and create about 50,000 additional jobs for its HQ2 project. The last official announcement from Amazon came almost exactly 10 months ago, when its selection was reduced to 20 finalist cities in January.

Since then, Amazon has said that its decision would be made by the end of the year, leaving speculation to prevail throughout the year.

Speculation has largely subsided in recent months, both for lack of new evidence and a general consensus that the greater Washington, DC area will escape.

Recent visits do not focus on a specific city

Company representatives involved in QG2 search went to several cities on Amazon's list of candidates, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune and the South Florida Business Journal.

Amazon would have visited Miami, Chicago, New York and Newark again, as well as places in the Washington, DC area. Some visits took place recently in September or October.

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Few details of the reason or the sites visited by the company are available in most cases.

A second visit to many sites at such a crucial time in QG2's decision-making process has opened the door for QG2 speculation. Although most badysts and experts rely on northern Virginia as the winner, additional visits to sites suggest that the decision was far from being made.

The Washington, DC area is still widely seen as the favorite, but

Some experts and insiders have even specified their predictions.

In September, the Sperling's Best Places location data site named Loudoun County, Virginia – specifically the semi-rural town of Oatlands, Virginia – as the most likely location for QG2 to land.

Sperling's says the city, a suburb located about 35 km west of Washington, DC, is perfect for several reasons. It's close to DC, but it has plenty of space to build Amazon's second headquarters according to its specifications.

Sperling may not be right about Oatlands, but northern Virginia as a whole has certainly been on expert radar. Two people who claimed to know about it told former Business Insider journalist Allan Smith that the company had targeted northern Virginia.

And in recent months, betting odds have literally hit Virginia. In fact, the state is located in the "American Internet Circle", which probably increases its chances. A local news site called ARLnow.com said it has seen an unusual increase in Amazon's traffic in a December article titled "County Wins Top Environmental Award" awarded by the US Green Building Council, explaining how the county's Arlington, Va., Was the first to be selected for an environmental award.

It is also close to DC's power hub, where Bezos already has a huge house and the Washington Post.

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