By Heather Lusk
Zionsville is one of the best cities in Indiana for young families, according to a ranking recently released by personal finance website Nerdwallet.
The town placed seventh out of 106 cities considered. Fishers took the top spot followed by Westfield, Granger, Brownsburg, Avon and Carmel.
Zionsville’s strong schools, proximity to Indianapolis and downtown Village area helped propel it to the top 10.
Molly Donofrio agreed that those factors influenced her family’s decision to choose Zionsville. Donofrio, her husband and three young children moved to town in September.
“Looking at things on paper, Zionsville and Carmel were the top choices because of the schools,” she said. “But the second we pulled onto (Zionsville’s) Main Street I said ‘This is it, this is where we’ll live.’”
Moving to Zionsville just a few days before the annual Fall Festival validated the family’s decision.
“I grew up in a small town with a strong-knit community,” Donofrio said. “This immediately had the same feel. The community vibe is evident.”
Councilwoman Candace Ulmer agrees that Zionsville has a great sense of community.
“We are unique having urban, suburban, rural living and all each has to offer within our one town,” she said. “As (NerdWallet) points out, from an economic perspective, Zionsville is a good value for your dollar.”
Ulmer admits there is room for improvement in terms of amenities for some demographics, but “we have much to offer families and I think our senior population has services and entertainment opportunities.”
This is the second year for the survey. NerdWallet’s analysis considered several factors: home affordability, prosperity and growth, quality of education and family friendliness.
Zionsville wasn’t a contender in the 2013 ranking, which considered cities with a population of 25,000 or more. Last year Carmel and Fishers took the respective first and second ranking. This year’s survey considered locations with populations greater than 5,000. The Nerdwallet Website offers online personal finance and credit card comparison services.
Zionsville has received many accolades in the past year, being named Google’s 2014 eCity for Indiana. Zionsville has also been ranked one of the best small towns in America and the safest town in Indiana by Movoto, and the second best suburb in the United States by Business Insider.
