By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Helena was named one of the most affordable cities in the nation for homebuyers in a CNN Money magazine list released on Aug. 12.

The magazine ranked Helena 18^th on its “Where Homes are Affordable” list, which is a category of the CNN Money magazine’s “Best Places to Live” feature. Helena was joined by Millbrook as the only two Alabama cities included on the list.

“Residents tend to gather in the town’s historic center called ‘Old Town,’ where the Buck Creek Festival is held every year,” read Helena’s entry. “Home prices have been on the upswing, but a dollar still stretches a long way. Three-bedroom starter homes can cost under $100,000, while a mint-condition five-bedroom home can go for around $300,000.”

Helena was named to the most affordable housing list the same day Pelham was ranked 47^th in the “America’s Best Small Towns” category of CNN Money’s “Best Places to Live” list.

“I’m happy Pelham made it too, because what’s good for them is good for us and vice versa,” said Helena Mayor Mark Hall. “I think it’s good for our home sales and our overall economy.”

Hall said the list reinforced what most Helena residents already knew.

“We knew you could get more housing for your dollar in Helena, and this ranking just reinforces that,” Hall said, noting Helena has placed in multiple other categories in the “Best Places to Live” list in past years.