Tel Aviv beach. Photo: wiki commons.

The three finalists for a Wall Street Journal/Citi poll on the top innovative cities in the world includes Tel Aviv. The Mediterranean coast city beat out the likes of London and Chicago. Its other two competitors for the top spot are New York and Medellin, the Colombian city which was once ravaged by the drug trade, but has seen its fortunes turn for the better in recent years.

The Wall Street Journal spotlights details that make the city an ideal center of innovation. “The White City, planned by Sir Patrick Geddes, has been honored by UNESCO as an example of modern architecture and town planning” the paper writes, and also points out that it has been honored for its innovative culture before.  “Highlighting Tel Aviv’s tradition of innovation in research and technology, the Startup Genome Project called the city a top ‘start-up success ecosystem.'”

The poll has even captured the attention of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who tweeted about it earlier in the month.

A winner will be announced on December 31st, 2012.