Amazon.com is scouting North American cities for a second company headquarters, where it plans to employ as many as 50,000 workers, the tech giant announced Thursday.

The Seattle-based company says it plans to invest $5 billion in construction and operation of the new location, which it is calling Amazon HQ2.

"We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters," Jeffrey P. Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon, 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." (Bezos also owns The Washington Post.)

Amazon is seeking proposals from local and state government leaders, and says it is focusing on metropolitan areas with more than 1 million people. It is also looking for areas that can attract and retain technical workers and "a stable and business-friendly environment."

It added that the location does not need to be in an urban or downtown location, or a development-prepped site.

"We want to encourage states and communities to think creatively for viable real estate options, while not negatively affecting our preferred timeline," the company said.

-- The Washington Post