Two Alabama cities named among best in the nation for working parents

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August 10, 2015

Sibyl Temple in Vestavia Hills, Alabama (Photo by Mike Wald)

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. — According to a recent ranking by personal finance and economics website NerdWallet, two Alabama municipalities are among the best small cities in the country for working parents.

Coming in at Numbers 8 and 6, respectively, Madison and Vestavia Hills both made it in the top 10.

“Families with children in Madison enjoy the second-lowest monthly homeowner costs of all top 10 cities, while still earning an income of $104,217, compared with the national median income of $82,788 for families with children,” NerdWallet wrote. “Madison is located in the Huntsville metro area, which is the technology epicenter of the South. One of the local child care options is KidTowne, where parents can enroll kids ages 6 weeks to 12 years old in various care and learning programs.”

“Vestavia Hills is a suburb of Birmingham and home to many high-earning families and strong schools. Alabama also enjoys the benefit of having low child care costs relative to other states. Working parents with young children here can take advantage of resources like the Primrose School at Liberty Park, which provides early childhood education and child care services.”

Here’s the entire top 10:

1. Brentwood, TN
2. Los Altos, CA
3. Saratoga, CA
4. Franklin, TN
5. Bentonville, AR
6. Vestavia Hills, AL
7. Germantown, TN
8. Madison, AL
9. Dublin, OH
10. Wildwood, MO

Notably, seven of the top ten are southern cities, where cost of living tends to be lower than in many other parts of the country.

To determine their rankings, NerdWallet analyzed nearly 1,000 places across the United States with populations from 25,000 to 100,000.

“We looked at small cities because they are most often the places that offer the best environments for middle-class families,” said the website. “The places that topped our list are cities that offer the best mix of income potential, affordability and top-notch schools.”

There were five other Alabama cities among the top 100, including Hoover (#29), Homewood (#32), Enterprise (#35), Auburn (#57), and Prattville (#78).