The Snohomish County Economic Development Council, which has a$300,000 annual budget this year and the equivalent of threefull-time employees, is lobbying to raise an extra half milliondollars annually to lure high-tech companies and their relativelywell-paying jobs. It's an attempt to prove the city of Everettequally as attractive as Pierce County's Tacoma, which wouldn'thave been saying much until recently.

After decades with the reputation for being foul smelling,Tacoma is making a comeback as a high-tech mecca. After dropping$100 million on a citywide fiber-optic network and another $129,000for a marketing strategy guide from the New York public relationsfirm Development Counselors International, the city has gone on apublic relations blitz that's already showing signs of success.

In the last few months, magazines and newspapers have featuredsweeping views of Mount Rainier and free-flowing freeways, cleanair in the sky and fiber optics in the ground. "America's No. 1Wired City," the advertisements say. The best advertising is alwaysfree, however, and the city has been getting more than its fairshare lately.