There’s a new top US city to visit!

Travel & Leisure readers dethroning Charleston, SC after 12 years on top

By Mike Kruz

July 10, 2025 at 7:02 pm EDT

I can vouch for Charleston, SC as an AMAZING city! I lived there for four years and for food, culture, beaches, history and more, it can’t be beat. Or... can it?

Travel & Leisure put out its annual list of the top US cities to visit. Low-and-behold, for the first time since 2012, Charleston, was NOT number 1.

After holding the top spot for 12 straight years, the new best city in America, after 180,000 readers voted, is Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Santa Fe scored the highest thanks to 300 days of sunshine, tasty food options and natural beauty. Charleston actually fell to #3 this year with New Orleans the runner-up.

By the way, the world #1 is central Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende. Interesting!

Read more here ➡️ Travel & Leisure

Mike Kruz

I love music. It’s really what got me into radio to begin with. You should see my record collection: from Michael Jackson and Elton John, to Led Zeppelin and The Stones, to old school hip-hop and dance music ... (Well you get the idea!)