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Richmond may not have the mass transit system Amazon wants as the online shopping giant searches for a second home, but the company said the city should still put in a bid, according to Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

During his monthly radio appearance on the Washington area’s WTOP, the governor said he expects Virginia to put in three to five bids for the highly coveted business project. Northern Virginia may be a more natural fit for what Amazon is looking for, McAuliffe said, but the company told him that Richmond and Virginia Beach — which presumably face longer odds — shouldn’t shy away from the competition for lack of large-scale mass transit.

“I don’t want our cities putting up money if they have no chance at it,” McAuliffe said. “But I was specifically told ‘please have them bid.’ ”

Highlighting the fact that Time magazine recently ranked Virginia Beach and Richmond as the top two cities with the fastest-growing millennial populations in the country, McAuliffe said he has been in touch with the mayors of both cities about their possible Amazon bids.