As Amazon has grown over the years, it’s always been important to us to call the city of Seattle our home. We moved into South Lake Union more than ten years ago, and we’re more excited than ever to be a part of this vibrant landscape.

Our urban campus spans into downtown Seattle, and our employees love being in the heart of the city. With museums, great local food, shopping, and more just a walk – or bike ride – away, working at Amazon means the best Seattle has to offer is always right at your fingertips. In 2013, we added 420,000 square feet of new headquarters space in Seattle and broke ground on what will become four city blocks and several million square feet of new construction. It is a fact that we could have saved money by instead building in the suburbs, but for us, it was important to stay in the city. Urban campuses are much greener. Our employees are able to take advantage of existing communities and public transit infrastructure, with less dependence on cars. We’re investing in dedicated bike lanes to provide safe, pollution free, easy access to our offices. Many of our employees can live nearby, skip the commute altogether, and walk to work.

Campus amenities

Over 40 office buildings make up our Seattle headquarters, and each building represents a part of Amazon history. Throughout our headquarters, there are mother’s rooms, prayer rooms, locker rooms, phone booths (for a bit of quiet space), roof decks with grills, game rooms, and more. Mostly all buildings have a dedicated IT team in it, along with IT vending machines for quick tech needs. Some of our buildings even have things like desks made from doors (a practice that started with Jeff Bezos himself), whiteboards in the elevators and rooftop dog parks. No matter which building you work in, you will find everything you need to succeed.

Employee life

This is a community campus, and we have many opportunities for our employees to meet. With company events, volunteer opportunities, concerts, happy hours, and more, it’s easy to get to know fellow Amazonians. We are also proud to support several affinity groups, like Glamazon (our LGBTQ group), Women in Engineering, and Warriors@Amazon (for military members and their families), that highlight the diverse perspectives that thrive with us. To learn more about these groups and the events they host, visit our diversity page.

How you work at Amazon is just as diverse as the people you’ll work with. Some employees can work from home, creating the work life harmony they need. We’ve also created community-oriented workspaces without desks to make flexible work environments. So, no matter if you pull up a chair, use a standing desk, or join a video call using Alexa, everyone can find the best way to work for them.

Community involvement

Our campus is so integrated into the city that customers can take guided tours of our office spaces. We also offer a free, self-guided audio tour of our headquarters and The Spheres are open to the public by reservation. We have a community dog park that is open to our neighbors, and we host a weekly farmers market, in nice weather, outside of The Spheres.

At Amazon, giving back to the communities where our employees live and work is in our DNA. In Seattle, we pledged to give Mary’s Place, a nonprofit organization that houses homeless families, permanent shelter space within our newest office building by 2020.

We also donated 25,000 sq. ft. of space to FareStart, a nonprofit culinary training and employment placement program that empowers people to find higher paying career opportunities within the food service industry. In this space, they opened five new eateries and expect to double the number of graduates’ lives they transform over the next 10 years.

Learn more about Amazon’s community engagement.

Fun Facts:

• Amazon’s first dog on campus was a Welsh Corgi named Rufus who “launched” most, if not all, of our early web pages. Early team members would hold Rufus’ paw and use it to press down on the mouse.
• Amazon is the largest private employer in Seattle.
• Biophilia – the idea that humans want to feel more connected to nature – inspired our newest buildings, The Spheres, which are an extension of our workspace.
• Audible, the audio book arm of Amazon, has created self-guided audio tours of several of our offices.
• Each of our 30+ buildings is named and themed after a piece of Amazon’s culture, history, or technology. For example, Fiona was the original code name for Kindle before it launched to customers. The Fiona building displays a collection of every version of Kindle.

About the city

People visit Seattle for attractions like the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, and the Great Wheel, but the city has so much more to offer residents. With local businesses, dining options, and apartments all within walking distance, many of our employees work and live downtown.

There is a lot to explore, with a vibrant arts and theater community, acres of public parks, museums, several professional sports teams, and different outdoor activities for all seasons – like taking a day trip to hike Mount Rainier.

Did you know?

• Seattle has a long musical history. Jazz ruled the city from 1918 to 1951, grunge music got its start here, and Jimi Hendrix, Kenny G, and Sir Mix-a-Lot were all born here.
• Seattle has a diverse and rich food culture, including seafood, locally sourced produce, award-winning wines, and the beer brewing traditions of the Pacific Northwest.
• The Seattle Cinerama – a movie theater that’s over 50 years old – is one of only three theaters in the world still capable of showing three-panel Cinerama films.
• If you love coffee, this is the city for you. Seattle has more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the U.S.

Getting around

We are located about 15 miles from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which provides visitors the ability to drive or take the Link Light Rail train directly to our downtown Seattle campus.

One of the great benefits of having a campus that’s fully integrated into the city is the access to public transit. Our employees have a range of commuting options, and more than half of our employees do not drive to work – many walk, bike, take public transportation, or carpool. For those that live a bit farther out, Seattle is serviced by the Sound Transit rail lines, Seattle Streetcars, and the Seattle Center Monorail. King County Metro Transit extends bus service to outlying neighborhoods in King County. We’re also continuing to expand our transit options, not just for Amazon employees but for all city residents, with the purchase and funding of a fourth Seattle Streetcar.

Biking is a big part of life in Seattle and for Amazonians. According to an employee survey, more than 70% of Amazon employees live in the city of Seattle, so biking is a popular option. Our campus has always been bike and environmentally friendly, with large garages specifically for bikes, scooters, and motorcycles. We’re also investing in a dedicated two-way cycle track to separate bikes from traffic.

Seattle campus map