Oklahoma City, Tulsa tout quality of life to lure Amazon second headquarters

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma City and Tulsa are showcasing cultural, recreational and quality-of-life attractions as they compete in a nationwide search for Amazon’s second headquarters in North America.

The online retail giant will clearly need tech-savvy talent and will likely look for state and local subsidies. But Oklahoma leaders are touting the cities’ more than 160 miles of hiking and biking trails, world-class training venues for Olympic rowing, kayaking and off-road bicycle racing, abundant recreational opportunities at spacious parks, waterways and lakes and the archives and memorabilia of American musical icons Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.

Thursday is the deadline for cities and regional economic development groups to submit their proposals. Amazon plans to make a final selection next year. The massive $5 billion project could eventually include as many as 50,000 jobs.