Amazon is reportedly planning to develop part of its HQ2 in Crystal City, Virginia. Here's why it may have been chosen by the e-commerce giant.

Crystal City is in Arlington County, Virginia, just 15 minutes from Washington, DC.

The heart of Amazon Web Services' physical network of data centers is nearby, in an area of Northern Virginia known as Data Center Alley.

Source: Business Insider

Amazon also plans on building a 600,000-square-foot data-center campus in Northern Virginia, in addition to its new Amazon Web Services office in Herndon, Virginia. These plans are separate from HQ2.

Source: Business Insider

Crystal City is only about two miles away from Ronald Reagan National Airport.

It's also an hour's drive from Dulles International Airport.

Source: Business Insider

According to The New York Times, the region is home to one of the most educated workforces in the country.

Source: The New York Times

Power in Northern Virginia is less expensive than in other nearby areas. "Compared to the rest of the Mid-Atlantic region, commercial electricity rates in the Northern Virginia market are among the lowest," according to the cloud-consulting firm DatacenterHawk.

Source: Business Insider

Crystal City has easy access to public transit.

Source: Washington Post

The Metro rail network is one of the busiest in the country, according to The Times.

Source: The New York Times

The region has a lot of high-rise apartments and is home to many shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Source: Trip Savvy

And it has ready-to-occupy office buildings. The HQ2 decision is said to be so close that Crystal City's top real estate developer, JBG Smith, has taken some of its buildings off the market.

Source: Washington Post

Northern Virginia is seen as being business-friendly, with lower regulation and taxes, according to an annual ranking from Chief Executive magazine.

Source: Chief Executive

The Times also reported that Crystal City has a 20% office vacancy rate according to JLL, a commercial real estate brokerage.

Source: The New York Times

Read more about Amazon's HQ2 project:

• Amazon made an important investment in Seattle, and it highlights a key issue for HQ2
• Amazon HQ2 candidates are going to great lengths to keep their plans secret
• HQ2 is making cities consider projects they've been ignoring for years — and it shows the power of Amazon
• 7 horrible things that could happen to cities if they win Amazon's HQ2 bid
• The cities where homeowners will benefit the most if Amazon's second headquarters lands there