It's a split decision for Amazon. The online shopping giant will divide its much-anticipated second headquarters between New York City and northern Virginia. Tuesday's big announcement ends months of speculation and wooing from cities across America that wanted in. CGTN's Jim Spellman reports from Crystal City, Virginia.

It's official Amazon has chosen its second U.S. headquarters, splitting the site into two East Coast locations - Long Island City in Queens, New York, and Crystal City, Virginia, just outside Washington DC.

In a statement Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said: "We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia. These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come."

Communities around the United States competed for the opportunity to host what Amazon has dubbed 'HQ2,' offering hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives including tax breaks.

ANDREW CUOMO NEW YORK GOVERNOR "I said, 'Whatever it takes.' I offered to change the name of my oldest born. Cara is a nice name, but I would change it to 'Amazon-Cara'."

Amazon says each location will create about 25-thousand high-paying jobs and two-and-a-half billion dollars in investment from the online giant. Together, they will occupy close to 750-thousand square meters of office space.

Analysts say the locations will allow Amazon to expand into new business areas.

SCOTT SCHOBER, PRESIDENT & CEO BERKELEY VARITRONICS SYSTEMS "Amazon is not Just the Amazon associated with books for shipping anymore. They are expanding in so many different ways. I think we are just getting a glimpse of what the future holds with Amazon."

But excitement is tempered with wariness, as neighbors prepare to grapple with more crowds, traffic and likely increased real estate prices.

"It's going to attract other retailers. It's going to bring restaurants. It's going to bring maybe other employers who haven't really looked at the area and considered it. So I think it's going to be a good thing."

"So if they're creating local jobs, that is a good thing."

JIM SPELLMAN CRYSTAL CITY, VIRGINIA "Here in Crystal City neighbors are worried about traffic and increased strain on the already stressed local mass transit system. Amazon says it will invest in new infrastructure to help these neighborhoods cope with the coming crowds. Ultimately "HQ2" was simply too big for one location to accommodate. The two new locations join the company's main headquarters in Seattle Washington. Jim Spellman, CGTN, Crystal City, Virginia."