Before-and-after Google Street View photos of 'Amazonia' reveal how the tech giant transformed Seattle

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Before-and-after Google Street View photos of 'Amazonia' reveal how the tech giant transformed Seattle

Amazon Spheres

AP/Ted S. Warren

Amazon offices in South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington.

A decade ago this year, Amazon moved from Seattle's Beacon Hill to South Lake Union, a neighborhood that locals now call "Amazonia." City planners predicted that Amazon might have 6,000 employees in Seattle by the time it completed its campus.

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Today, the company dominates South Lake Union and much of the city, where it employs over 40,000 people and has over 37 offices. And its campus is still growing.

Since Amazon arrived, South Lake Union has seen a 50% jump in the number of people working there, contributing to a construction boom. And Amazon has continued to spur an influx of high-skilled tech workers.

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South Lake Union's transformation is easy to see. Buildings have gotten higher and fancier, independent businesses have shuttered, and run-down parking lots have turned into shiny redevelopments.

Through Google Street View photos, take a look at how the neighborhood has changed over time:

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