Despite being some  of the drunkest, cheatingest people in the country, a majority of Washington area residents think Washington is becoming a better place to live, according to a new Gallup poll.

A solid 63.7 percent of D.C. metro area residents are optimistic about the region’s future, which is four points higher than the national average of 59 percent. It’s also up from 2011 and 2010, when 60.7 and 60.5 percent of D.C. area residents were optimistic, respectively.

That good cheer, along with comparatively higher rates of eating produce and lower rates of diabetes, made the Washington area the highest-scoring large metro area on Gallup’s wellbeing index.

Photo by Flickr user Mr. T in DC under Creative Commons license