Seattle-based Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has narrowed down proposals from 238 North American cities to a shortlist of 20, of which 19 are in the U.S. and one is in Canada.

The company plans to invest more than US$5 billion in what it has called "HQ2" - a project it expects to create up to 50,000 high-paying jobs.

“Thank you to all 238 communities that submitted proposals. Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough – all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity,” said Holly Sullivan of Amazon's public policy division.

“Through this process we learned about many new communities across North America that we will consider as locations for future infrastructure investment and job creation," she said.

In the coming months the group plans to work with each candidate location to dive deeper into its proposals, request additional information and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership that can accomodate hiring plans while benefiting employees and the local community.

A decision is expected in 2018. The shortlist includes the following locations (in alphabetical order):

- 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.

German produce industry publication Fruchthandel also reports the company is aiming to open 12 new locations for its AmazonFresh business in Germany this year, 

www.freshfruitportal.com