Charleston named No. 2 city in the world by Conde Nast readers

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The readers of Conde Nast Traveler continue to shower praise on the Holy City, naming Charleston, South Carolina the second best city in the world in their latest "Readers' Choice Awards."

With a reader rating of 83.792, Charleston took the No. 2 spot in the "Top 25 Cities in the World" category for 2014, missing out on the top honors by the slimmest of margins. Florence, Italy, was named the best city in the world with a score of 83.870.

This is the fourth straight year Conde Nast readers have named Charleston the top city in the United States.

To create this year's awards, Equation Research sifted through 76,659 questionnaires submitted by Conde Nast readers. The questionnaires contained lists of candidates in various categories which were to be evaluated based on relevant criteria on a five-point scale. The mean average determined the location's final score.

For Conde Nast Traveler senior editor Lindsay Talbot, Charleston's ranking can be summed up by its beauty and delicious dining.

"I love Charleston because the colors of the houses are just unreal," the editor wrote. "It's just a dazzling array of pastels."

Talbot also named Husk as her favorite Charleston restaurant, just edging out The Ordinary.

Charleston has solidified itself as a top 10 destination for travelers by consistently placing in several "Best Of" lists created by the popular travel magazine.

In the 2012, readers of Conde Nast named Charleston their favorite destination in the world, before slipping to No. 5 in the 2013 Readers' Choice Awards.

Conde Nast readers also had rave reviews for Kiawah Island, naming the travel destination the No. 1 island in the United States, and the No. 2 island in the world in the 2014 Readers' Choice Awards.

Several Charleston area hotels and resorts took home individual Readers' Choice Awards honors this year.

Wentworth Mansion (No. 5) and French Quarter Inn (No. 9) made top 10 appearances in the Best Hotels in the South category, while The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island came in at No. 4 in Best Resorts in the South.

For more on the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards 2014, click here.

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