will close the bidding process for its second headquarters on Thursday.

The bidding, which was announced in early September, has set off a frenzy across the country, drawing interest from a variety of communities — from big cities such as New York and Chicago to small regions such as Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

Although we don't know exactly which cities have officially submitted their proposals so far, there are more than 100 cities and counties that have expressed interest in placing a bid, according to previous reports. There could be more, as some cities are keeping their bids secret, at least through Thursday, for competitive reasons.

Amazon has pledged to invest more than $5 billion and hire 50,000 people for its second headquarters. In return, Amazon is likely expecting billions of dollars in tax benefits and incentives.