Amazon may no longer love New York, but it’s nestling deep into the heart of Texas.
The retailer has announced plans to expand its operations in the Lone Star State’s capital, adding another 800 jobs. The positions, reports the Austin Statesman, will primarily focus on software and hardware engineering, research science, and cloud computing divisions.
Amazon already employs more than 5,600 people in Austin, the Statesman reports.
The city, at one point, was considered a finalist for the HQ2 facility. However, while the timing comes soon after Amazon scrubbed plans for a secondary headquarters in New York, which would have brought 25,000 jobs to the area, company officials say the Austin expansion is not tied to that decision.
Terry Leeper, Amazon’s site lead in Austin, said the company had always planned on expanding its presence there. Beyond its core businesses, Amazon is also tied to Austin since its Whole Foods’ headquarters is located there.
Austin is Amazon’s “next tier of places where we try things,” Leeper told the newspaper. “The excitement around Amazon in Austin and the people that work for Amazon is at an all-time high.”
The city’s tech-savvy workforce and urban amenities are one of the things Amazon typically looks for as it expands its presence into urban areas.
Editor’s Note, April 1: A previous version of this story said Amazon employed more than 6,600 people in Austin—the figure has been updated to 5,600.
