SPOKANE – The city of Spokane is spending $450,000 in an effort to attract people and businesses from Seattle to move to the Lilac City.

The campaign is called “Hacking Washington.

Julie Happy, who works for Spokane, says the city is ideal as a location for companies looking to establish branch offices.

The campaign is also targeting people who may have grown up or gone to school in Spokane, but moved away.

The hope is they will return to Spokane, seeking shorter commute times and cheaper cost of living. The website boasts of Spokane’s 19-minute average commute compared Seattle’s average of 45 minutes.

Funding for the Hacking Washington campaign came from the city’s communications budget.