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Real estate research firm lists Raleigh, not Charlotte, in Top 25 for Amazon headquarters

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Only one North Carolina city made a new top 25 list for Amazon's second national headquarters, and it wasn’t Charlotte, according to real estate research firm Reis.

Reis ranked Raleigh No. 23 out of the top 25 cities.

New York was No. 1, followed by San Francisco.

Reis calls its analysis "purely data driven," using commercial real estate statistics, census data and state tax rates.

Along with Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro and Hickory were the four areas in North Carolina that placed bids for Amazon's second national headquarters. Altogether, 238 cities placed bids.

But officials with the Charlotte Regional Partnership thinks its submission for Amazon's second headquarters is strong and will be competitive.

[LINK: Amazon HQ Requirements]

The group unveiled some details about the proposal at a news conference Thursday, which includes the release of a flashy, spoken word video highlighting what Charlotte has to offer.

[LINK: CRP proposal video to Amazon]

“We would like to extend an invitation to you to come and spend some time in Charlotte,” the video pitch said.

The flashy and well-produced spoken word video is one of numerous pitches that was boxed up and sent to Jeff Bezos in an attempt to land Amazon's headquarters.

CRP officials also launched a social media campaign with the hashtag “CharlotteIsPrime” and declared Oct. 18 as Charlotte Prime Day.

[READ MORE: #CLTisPrime: City brainstorms ways to lure Amazon to Charlotte]

[RELATED: Charlotte asks citizens to use #CLTisPrime to attract Amazon]

[RELATED: Charlotte works on pitch for location of Amazon's second headquarters]

“We stand second to none and shoulder-to-shoulder with the best states, counties and regions in this country,” CRP senior director Steven Pearce said.

The $5 billion project is expected to bring 50,000 well-paying jobs to the city selected.

The two things that will likely play a major role in Amazon's decision are being kept secret right now, location and incentives.

CRP officials said Charlotte's bid includes 21 potential locations in two states and six counties, but won't say specifically where. The group also won't divulge how many incentives the individual cities and counties are offering to land the company.

“That information belongs to them, and it is not the Charlotte Regional Partnership's responsibility to make that public,” CRP President Ronnie Bryant said.

The city of Charlotte denied Channel 9's records request for incentives information.

"It is the opinion of the city of Charlotte that releasing the requested records at this time would frustrate the process for which the records were created by putting the city at a competitive disadvantage as this process continues," spokesperson Jordan-Ashley Walker said.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts admits the city will not be able to offer billions in incentives like other cities have been bragging about, but said the totality of Charlotte's bid makes Charlotte the best fit for Amazon.

“Transportation, low cost of living, incredible workforce, all of those things put together, you can't buy some of that stuff. It's just here,” Roberts said.

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