US city that was smart in the past (7)

I believe the answer is:

chicago

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'us city that' is the definition.
'chicago' can be an answer for 'us city' (I've seen this before). I am not sure about the rest of the definition.

'smart in the past' is the wordplay.
'smart' becomes 'chic' (both can mean stylish).
'in the past' becomes 'ago' (synonyms).
'chic'+'ago'='CHICAGO'

'was' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for chicago that I've seen before include "US city, original home of the skyscraper" , "Illinois port" , "City on Lake Michigan" , "US city - musical featuring All That Jazz" , "3 city in the US" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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