Brookhaven is on the top 15 list of “Best Towns in Mississippi for Young Families,” according to an announcement by an online blog this week.

The website, called NerdWallet.com, analyzed cities across the state for such factors as public schools, median home values and the status of the local economy.

“For young families, choosing where to live is one of the most important financial decisions they will make, and it means more than buying a home,” the blog’s Mark Anderson wrote on the website Monday, Nov. 11.

“It means buying into the community, including its local economy, with the jobs it has to offer, and, for those families with kids, its schools. We wanted to identify the communities with the best such opportunities in Mississippi …,” Anderson wrote.

NerdWallet.com is a financial comparison website launched in March 2010. It offers recommendations and comparisons on financial options, discounts, credit cards and gasoline prices. The site was recognized by CNN Money as one of the Top 20 Best Money Sites in 2010.

Specific data analyzed for the best towns listing included:

• Academic ratings from GreatSchools, a non-profit that rates schools on a 1 to 10 scale based on a comparison of individual school’s standardized test scores with state averages.

• Median home prices, mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities, insurance costs, fuel prices, etc.

• Average household income and income growth.

Best Towns in Mississippi for Young Families List

The website’s top 15 list for Mississippi includes:

1. Petal

2. Madison

3. Hernando

4. Long Beach

5. Olive Branch

6. Brandon

7. Pearl

8. Grenada

9. Southaven

10. Ocean Springs

11. Corinth

12. Oxford

13. Ridgeland

14. Biloxi

15. Brookhaven

To view the website article, go to:
http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/2013/best-towns-mississippi-young-families/