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If you moved to Chicago, Cleveland wants you back

New campaign targets Clevelanders who've relocated.

CLEVELAND — You may know someone who moved from Cleveland to Chicago, who may now be having second thoughts.

A new campaign taps into that.

“If you’re a former Clevelander, you’re going to know that it’s targeting you,” said Emily Lauer of Destination Cleveland.

Treating the leave as a breakup, Destination Cleveland paid for signs along transit routes and other public places in Chicago to suggest getting back together.

“This is our attempt to get them to start thinking about it seriously and sooner,” Lauer said.

Andrew Kawalek of Shaker Heights believes it can work.

After graduating from Miami University, he moved to Chicago where the cost of living was high.

Since his return, he bought a beautiful home and even joined a country club.

“I could get a lot more for my money and a lot less stress,” he said. “There’s no way I could’ve done that staying on the path I was on.”

Lauer said the campaign is still in a pilot phase that targets only Chicago. She encourages people to use the hashtag #ComeBacktoCLE on social media to support it.

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