By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Several Shelby County cities are among the best places in the state to purchase a house, according to a ranking recently released by a national website.

The Niche.com website recently released its 2017 list of the “Best places to buy a house in Alabama,” which ranked areas based on homes values, property taxes, home ownership rates, housing costs and real estate trends. While compiling the list, the website studied data from the U.S. Census, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Zillow and other sources.

Helena came in at No. 2 on the list, trailing only Madison. Helena, which has a population of 17,589, posted an overall Niche.com grade of A, and had a public schools grade of A minus and a housing grade of A.

Chelsea, which has a population of 11,386, was No. 3 on the list, and recorded an overall grade of A, a public schools grade of A minus and a housing grade of A.

Calera, with a population of 12,593, came in at No. 5 on the list, recording an overall grade of A, a public schools grade of A minus and a housing ranking of A.

The Meadowbrook community, which is off U.S. 280 in Shelby County, has a population of 8,752, and came in at No. 10 on the list. Meadowbrook earned an overall grade of A plus, a public schools grade of A minus and a housing grade of A.

Hoover, which is partially in Shelby County and has a population of 83,547, placed No. 11 on the list, earning an overall grade of A plus, a public schools grade of A plus and a housing grade of A.

Indian Springs Village in northern Shelby County, with a population of 2,505, came in at No. 14 on the website’s list. Indian Springs earned an overall Niche.com grade of A plus, a public schools grade of A minus and a housing grade of A.

Alabaster, which is the largest city totally in Shelby County with a population of 31,905, placed No. 18, with an overall grade of A, a public schools grade of A minus and a housing grade of A.

Rounding out Shelby County’s showing in the top 25 was Pelham, which has a population of 22,346 and came in at No. 22. Pelham has an overall grade of A, a public schools grade of A minus and a housing grade of A minus.

To view the entire listing, see Niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-places-to-buy-a-house/s/Alabama.