Daily Blog: Regarding Charleston

Lists are endlessly made of America’s top cities – top cities for tourists, top cities for history, top cities for culture, and on and on.

One city that seems to find its way into many of the “top cities” lists is Charleston. Perhaps that’s the reason for Forbes Life’s recent and singular compliment: “Pound for Pound, America’s Finest City.”

One of the continuing challenges facing a city is to resolve the tension that exists between its past, present and future. That’s a challenge that Charleston has met well.

As Richard Nalley writes, “The place, to put it mildly, is not afflicted with the amnesia effects of American Progress. Around here, the new must always accommodate itself to the stubborn tenacity of what came before.”

The 2000 census listed Charleston’s population as 96,650 – ranking with the best is in reach even when ranking with the biggest isn’t.

I’m reminded of the words of Charleston’s long-time mayor, Joseph P. Riley, Jr., who said several years ago, “Sometimes, if you paint on a smaller canvas, you can make a more beautiful picture.”