For those of us who are lucky enough to call the Charlotte area home, we already know just how wonderful our city is. We have great job opportunities, some of the best shopping in the south, a variety of fantastic restaurants to sample, and a great community of people that we can call our friends and neighbors. Even better, others are starting to realize just how great the Queen City is, naming Charlotte the most up-and-coming city for several reasons.

Yelp recently ranked cities throughout the United States according to their current business climate and the outlook for the area. Some of the specific factors that were considered for each city included how many people searched for spots in the area and mapped a route to the destination, the number of people who visited that area’s local business pages, and whether businesses in the area were able to remain open. After looking at these data point for 50 different metropolitan areas, Charlotte was ranked #1 on the list.

The goal of the Yelp Local Economic Outlook was to identify and track the top areas in the United States that are ripe for economic opportunity. Essentially, it wanted to identify where small businesses have the greatest chance of success. So, small business owners in Charlotte, you are doing something right!

Realtor.com also recently recognized the Charlotte area. Each year, this real estate service and website creates a list of the hottest zip codes in the nation for both buyers and sellers, analyzing over 32,000 zip codes. For the second year in a row, the zip code 28273 made it onto this prestigious list. This zip code covers the majority of the Steele Creek area, from Steele Creek Road to Arrowwood Road. In 2016, this zip code was ranked 41st on the Realtor.com list. This year, the Steele Creek area came in 30th on this list of hot zip codes.

With Yelp and Realtor.com recognizing the Charlotte area as one of the best up-and-coming cities, it only makes sense that individuals, families, and businesses will continue to flock to the area to take advantage of the potential that exists in our great city.