According to the 2008 's Favorite Cities survey, Charleston has made a lasting impression. More than 125,000 travelers voting in this year's Travel + Leisure/CNN Headline News survey ranked 25 top cities in 45 categories ranging from food and shopping to people, culture and nightlife. The survey revealed Charlestonians are 's friendliest people, with the city grabbing the No. 1 spot on the list in that category. Charleston also took a place on every list in the shopping category with its antiques stores (No. 1), vintage stores/flea markets (No. 2) and local boutiques (No. 3). As for quality of life/visitor experience, the Holy City received second-place rankings for its noteworthy neighborhoods and peace and quiet.

The coastal community also grabbed the second spot in Condé Nast Traveler magazine's Top 10 travel destinations in the , just behind San Francisco .

As Mary Thornley, chairperson of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, notes: "There is a sense of pride in this place that isn't found everywhere. Locals love the Charleston area with a passion, and visitors can sense this right from the start."

Charleston combines traditional and contemporary flavors. Historic plantations and architecture, world-class shopping and dining, Atlantic beaches plus the city's temperate climate makes the state's largest city attractive for year-round indoor and outdoor activity. Its hospitals and medical facilities (including the Medical University of South Carolina) are among the nation's most advanced. There are several colleges and universities, including the College of Charleston and The Citadel.

The master-planned community of Daniel Island, located a 20-minute drive from downtown Charleston and eight miles from Charleston International Airport, is a place where visitors are increasingly being converted from occasional visitors into full-time locals, especially among the Boomer set. It features distinct neighborhoods situated among hundreds of acres of parks and open green space, sweeping marsh, river and creek vistas. The first residents moved to the island in 1996; it is estimated there will be another eight to 10 years of active development.

Daniel Island will eventually consist of 5,000 residential units (homes, townhomes, condominiums and apartment units) with approximately 2,000 homes and 1,250 condo units completed as of November 2008. Home sites feature deepwater, tidal creek, marsh, golf and interior views. They range from the $300,000s to more than $2 million. Architecture on Daniel Island draws inspiration from the simple beauty and practicality of Lowcountry traditions: high ceilings to let gentle breezes circulate, generous porches for socializing with neighbors and lots of outdoor living space to enjoy the weather, even in January when the temperature frequently reaches 55 degrees.

Homes in Daniel Island Park (the golf and country club neighborhood) are built by regional custom builders and feature traditional Southern-style architecture. They range from the $800,000s to more than $6 million. Homes in other island neighborhoods are built by both custom and national production builders and range from the $400,000s to $2 million.

Island condominiums offer both urban and golf neighborhood settings and are available from $200,000 to $1 million.

The conveniences of modern living and a growing selection of boutiques and restaurants are centrally located within Daniel Island 's pedestrian-friendly downtown. In addition to banks, medical offices, beauty salons, and a Publix supermarket, the island is also home to professional offices, from small "home-grown" businesses to the corporate headquarters for some of Charleston 's largest employers.

Downtown Daniel Island is the island's urban neighborhood, offering a combination of convenience and laid-back island lifestyle.

Children can walk to some of the Charleston area's finest schools. The Daniel Island School (K-8) enjoys an enviable reputation as one of the top public schools in Charleston, featuring a state-of-the-art facility, superb faculty and an award-winning PTA. Bishop England High School has been voted the state's finest Catholic high school. And the Daniel Island Academy offers high-level programming and care for children ages 1-4.

Community accolades have come from the Urban Land Institute (Award for Excellence as a top example of successful and creative land use and planning), National Association of Home Builders (Best in American Living Award for smart growth), Where to Retire Magazine (100 Best Master-Planned Communities), and the South Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association (Two Aurora Awards for Community Design).

Travel & Leisure Golf, Luxury Golf and Travel and Golf Magazine selected Daniel Island Park among the nation's top golf communities. Golf Digest named Jones' Ralston Creek one of the country's top 10 Best New Private courses. Golfweek rated Fazio's Beresford Creek one of the top 50 real estate courses in the nation. Golf Digest recognized Head Teaching Professional Ron Cerrudo among the top five golf instructors in the state. And for good measure, the Nationwide Tour recently selected Daniel Island to hold its next three Tour Championship Finals  beginning Oct. 22-25, 2009.

Boomers are often attracted to holes 8 and 14 on the Ralston Course, according to Cerrudo. No. 8 is striking in that it is the first time golfers emerge from the park-like initial seven holes and experience the beautiful marshes that surround Daniel Island . The view is spectacular on this par-4 requiring a relatively easy carry over a corner of the marsh. No. 14 is one of the Jones' course's most strategic holes, a par-4 necessitating a short carry over salt marsh to a fairway framed by beautiful live oaks.

Beresford's 13th and 17th holes draw rave reviews from Boomers. No. 13 is a straightaway par-4 that challenges long hitters off the tee with an ever-narrowing fairway followed by an approach to a green circled by trees. No. 17 is a par-3 offering the most dramatic interplay between salt marsh and manicured turf on the course with an ample landing area in front of the green that aids short hitters.

Other recreational amenities Boomers and their families particularly appreciate include: the Family Circle Tennis Center featuring 16 courts plus a 10,000-seat center court stadium that annually hosts the weeklong Family Circle Cup in April, as well as concerts, instructional clinics and league play; miles of hiking and exercise trails weaving throughout neighborhoods, waterways, forests and downtown Daniel Island; hundreds of acres of parks and green space; an 11-acre lake brimming with fish, including striped and largemouth bass; boating, swimming, fishing and crabbing opportunities galore; the Charleston Symphony Orchestra returning each spring to Daniel Island for the popular "Concert in the Park"; and monthly Family Night Dinners.

Little wonder Boomers and their families are trading in suitcases for new homes after visiting Charleston's Daniel Island .