After Amazon announced late last year that it plans to build a second headquarters in an undetermined location, it received 238 bids from cities, states, and regions across North America. Each proposal detailed why that place should be chosen for Amazon's new second home.

On Thursday, the company announced a shortlist of 20 finalist cities, including Denver, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Amazon says its new campus, called HQ2, will bring 50,000 new jobs to the city where it winds up being built. The e-commerce giant will invest $5 billion in the construction, making the offer one of the largest corporate-civic opportunities in recent American history.

Many cities have disclosed their plans to woo Amazon. Some are more extreme than others.

Here are a few of the most out-there bids.