Those of us who live here know very well what a wonderful state North Carolina is to call home, and if you’ve subscribed to On Locke, our weekly Monday morning newsletter, for more than a few months, you’ve likely heard me sing praises of our significant population growth over the past decade.

But I invite you to humor me by taking a look at yet another chart driving home (pun so very much intended) how superb our state is.

Fastest Growing Cities Map from Visual Capitalist

There are three things worth noting on this map (aside from the fact that North Carolina is represented not once, not twice, but thrice):

1) Physical Climate: Visual Capitalist points out that, “Warmer temperatures in January and cooler temperatures in July are both strongly correlated with urban growth.” North Carolina is generally known to offer four seasons yet not venture too far into any one climate extreme … unless we’re talking about humidity, in which case, yes.

2) Business Climate: Doing business in North Carolina’s cities is easier than in most urban areas across the country, with their localized bureaucratic webs of regulation and excessive codes. Out of the top 40 cities to do business in, Raleigh ranks first in the nation. Greensboro and Charlotte also make the cut.

3) Real Estate Climate: Our cities have outpaced many of their more progressive counterparts in ensuring that housing growth keeps up with job market growth. As I noted previously, “The future belongs to the cities that can keep affordable housing growth properly matched to job growth” and many indicators point to North Carolina doing very well on this front, especially by avoiding egregious zoning practices that have atrophied growth in places like New York and San Francisco.

So, in case you needed yet more reasons to be proud of our beautiful state (or simply want to start your week by forwarding this email to a Northern friend who you’re trying to convince to move down South), I hope this map reinforces what a good state we live in and inspires you to continue fighting to keep her free!