The city of Madison may be considered a small town by some standards, but it recently made a big name for itself after being ranked No. 49 in CNN/Money magazine's list of the Top 100 small cities in the United States.

CNN/Money selected the towns, ranging from 8,500 to 50,000 in population, on the basis of their "great schools, affordable homes, low crime" and general appeal.

Mayor Paul Finley said he is "thrilled" and "excited" to have Madison's name on the list, which was released July 13. The city's ranking was the best for an Alabama city, ahead of Calera (83), Alabaster (85) and Helena (90). Madison has a population of nearly 40,000.

"This is a fantastic community and a great place to live and raise a family," Finley said. "People are realizing when you have jobs, a safe community and strong schools, those are important factors in a community, and very few right now have all three. It's what we as a council and mayor want to build on."

The magazine said Madison's economy "has remained stronger than many, thanks to such large employers as Boeing and NASA. Indeed, a tech boom has made this one of Alabama's fastest-growing towns."

Finley credits the Madison school system, the local parks with green space in virtually every subdivision, and the quality of family life for the ranking.

"The Madison City Schools community joins with all the residents, community leaders, business members, volunteers and community supports that work collaboratively to make the city of Madison such a great place to live," School Superintendent Dee Fowler said. "We hope that our efforts in education have helped separate Madison from other communities and have contributed to this wonderful recognition. We look forward to many years of greatness for our community."

Finley said the magazine contacted his office three or four weeks ago, inquiring about photos of the city, schools and other tidbits. But he said he did not receive the official word about the ranking until he arrived at his office early July 13.

Finley is obviously proud of Madison, but said he believes it has had a little help from its friends in Huntsville and Madison County.

"We take pride in being part of the Huntsville-Madison County community, and we will continue to work hard to keep it great," said Finley, who traveled last week to Washington, D.C., with Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie to lobby for federal money for roads in Madison and Madison County.

In May, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine named Huntsville the No. 1 place to live in the United States this year.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 By Yvonne Betowt al.com