Virginia is the third best state in the country, according to YouGov’s recent poll of American adults.

Participants in the YouGov poll were offered pairs of states (Washington, D.C. included) and asked to select the better state, and those states with the highest win percentages were considered the best overall.

Hawaii was the most successful state, winning 69 percent of the time, followed by Colorado at 65.4 percent. Virginia is third with 64.1 percent. Neighbor North Carolina finishes in fifth place with a win percentage of 61.3.

This comes not long after U.S. News & World Report called Virginia the 7th best state in the country.

Why are we in the Old Dominion proving so popular around the country? While the writers mention our history and coastline, it can’t be ignored that Virginia has been in the headlines for all the right reasons the last couple of years.  We’ve just legalized recreational marijuana, effective July 1 this year, and pass laws to prevent discrimination against minorities and LGBT+ citizens and women. We’ve made electric cars cheaper and made access to education much easier for everyone, especially the poor and middle class.

As impressive as all this is, indications from the state legislature suggest the rate of progress won’t be slowing any time soon. We’ll be sure keep you updated on all the changes as they happen.