This has got to be good advertising for our local tourism industry.

Outside Magazine ranked Wilmington among a list of Best Towns – “the finest places you’d ever want to call home.”

Listed along with cities and towns such as Chattanooga, Tenn. (reader’s choice for best town) and Charleston, S.C., the magazine calls our river city the “Next Big Thing.” Here’s what else they had to say about Wilmington:

Similar to Charleston: southern charm, a 300-year-old harbor, ample seafood. But what sets Wilmington (pop. 106,500) apart from its genteel South Carolina neighbor is an economy in overdrive—not long ago, it was the second-fastest-growing economy in the U.S. Thanks to EUE Screen Gems, it’s also home to the largest motion-picture and television studio outside California. (The local film industry employs some 800 people.) Situated where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic, the former military port’s recreation options are mostly water-based—sea-kayaking, sailing, deap-sea fishing—and the biggest party of the year is, naturally, Riverfest, a frenzy of vendors, fireworks, music, athletic competitions, and invading pirates.

And don’t forget that Wilmington ranked on two other lists in recent months, including one called “America’s Most Fun, Affordable Cities” by Bloomberg Businessweek, based on data from Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate’s Lifestyle Search, and the best late-summer beach bargain according to Orbitz.