CINCINNATI -- The Queen City's civic leaders' frenzied efforts to attract a $5 billion investment from Amazon apparently weren't enough.
Amazon released a list of 20 contenders for its second headquarters on Thursday, and Cincinnati wasn't among them.
RELATED: Does Cincinnati have what it takes to land Amazon headquarters?
MORE: Can Cincinnati area fill 50,000 Amazon jobs? Chamber says yes
City officials and business leaders quickly put together a bid last fall that Mayor John Cranley said gave us a "legitimate shot" at winning the retail giant's enormous investment and 50,000 associated jobs.
The shortlist includes Toronto along with 19 communities in the United States. Major population centers such as New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago were included along with smaller cities such as Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
Amazon's first headquarters in Seattle has more than 40,000 employees and includes 33 buildings totaling 8.1 million square feet, according to the company's website.
CNBC reports a total of 238 North American cities submitted proposals.
"Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough – all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity," Holly Sullivan, an executive with Amazon Public Policy, said in a statement to CNBC.
Amazon told CNBC the company expects to make a final decision later this year.
For the full list of finalists, visit the website here.
