Charleston Port, charlestonbusiness.com

Forbes.com recently ran an article entitled “The World’s Smartest Cities,” and Charleston was lucky (and smart) enough to earn the #8 spot on this listing.

The description for Charleston reads:

Charleston has expanded its port and manufacturing base while preserving its lovely historic core. Once an industrial backwater, Charleston now seems poised to emerge as a major aerospace center, with the location of a new Boeing 787 assembly plant there, which will bring upward of 12,000 well-paying jobs to the region.

Charleston is one of four US cities on the list, which also includes Houston, TX; Hunsville, AL; Seattle, WA.

Charleston joins the ranks of several international cities on the list including: Calgary, Alberta; Amsterdam; Monterrey, Mexico; Curitiba, Brazil; Hong Kong and Singapore.