CHARLOTTE – National and regional publications recently picked Charlotte as a rising economic powerhouse.

In its July issue, Forbes magazine ranked Charlotte eighth in its list of “Next Big Boom Towns In The U.S.” The magazine ranked Austin, Texas, as No. 1 and Raleigh as No. 2.

“Two advantages Nashville and other rising Southern cities like No. 8 Charlotte, N.C., possess are a mild climate and smaller scale,” Forbes wrote. “Even with population growth, they do not suffer the persistent transportation bottlenecks that strangle the older growth hubs. At the same time, these cities are building the infrastructure — roads, cultural institutions and airports — critical to future growth. Charlotte’s bustling airport may never be as big as Atlanta’s Hartsfield, but it serves both major national and international routes.”

In addition, Southern Business & Development magazine has named the Charlotte region its 2011 Major Market of the Year, along with New Orleans.

Among the 2010 deals that catapulted Charlotte to the top spot were Siemens Energy’s $135 million expansion bringing 825 new jobs, Hewitt Associates’ 463-job expansion and Fifth Third Bancorp’s $2 million location that is adding 250 jobs. Charlotte has received four honorable mentions from Southern Business in the past six years.