It’s no surprise to those who already live here, but Brookhaven is a great place to live. That fact was reinforced yet again last week when the Homeseekers Paradise was recognized as one of the “Best Towns in Mississippi for Young Families.”

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

Brookhaven was the only Southwest Mississippi community cited in the survey. The city came in at No. 15 on the list along with such communities as Petal (No. 1), Madison (No. 2), Hernando (No. 3), Long Beach (No. 4) and Olive Branch (No. 5).

Other data used to compile the list of top communities included home mortgage costs, the community’s economic growth from 1999 to 2011 and the local schools’ 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.

Launched in 2010, NerdWallet.com 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.

In addition to the factors used by the website to pick its top communities list, Brookhaven also can point with pride to our outstanding medical facilities, historic downtown, thriving local retail community, our parks and recreation options, our beautiful tree-lined streets and pleasant climate as further reasons young families should pick our town to make their home.

Brookhaven is indeed a Homeseekers Paradise – but we already knew that.