By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

CNN Money Magazine cited job growth, low property taxes and access to several amenities in naming Pelham one of its top 50 places to live in for 2013.

Pelham ranked at 47 in the “America’s Best Small Towns” category of the magazine’s list of “Best Places to Live.” It was the only Alabama city – and one of the few southeastern cities – included on the list released on Aug. 12.

The list placed Pelham’s population at 22,297, and recorded the city’s median home value at $135,000.

“This Birmingham suburb is a town on the rise,” read Pelham’s entry on the list. “With new residents attracted by its steady job growth and low property taxes, Pelham’s population has more than doubled over the past 20 years.

“The local unemployment rate, at 4.5%, is one of the lowest on the list,” the entry read. “Tucked up against Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama’s largest, where visitors can bike, fish, go boating and more, the area offers no shortage of outdoor adventure.”

CNN Money praised all cities on the list for offering “plenty of green space, good schools and a strong sense of community.”

The CNN Money accolade came a few months after Bloomberg Businessweek named Pelham the “Best Place to Raise Kids” in Alabama.

Pelham City Council President Rick Hayes said he was excited to see Pelham included on the list, and said city leaders will use the CNN Money and Businessweek honors while marketing the city in the future.

We are proud of our community, which has so much to offer its residents, businesses and visitors,” Hayes wrote in an email. “Naturally, we also understand that we still have opportunities for improvement and will remain committed to doing everything we can to make Pelham and our entire community great in every way possible.”