Amazon on Thursday said it plans to open a second company headquarters in North America, and it is soliciting pitches from cities and states for what it calls HQ2.

The online retailer expects to invest more than $5 billion in construction and grow this second headquarters to include as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs.

Amazon said it would prioritize bids from metropolitan areas with more than one million people; regions that provide a "stable and business-friendly environment"; urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent; and communities that "think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options."

Amazon said the location does not have to be an urban or downtown campus; a similar layout to Amazon's Seattle campus; or a development-prepped site.

"We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters," Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, said in a statement. "Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We're excited to find a second home."

Amazon estimates its investments in its Seattle headquarters operations from 2010 through 2016 resulted in an additional $38 billion to the city's economy.

Thursday's announcement is likely to set off a scramble among cities vying to make the short list. Cities and states are being advised to visit www.amazon.com/amazonHQ2 for more information.

—The Associated Press contributed to this report.