By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

Niche.com listed two Shelby County cities in the top five best suburbs in Alabama for homebuyers. Based on home values, property taxes, housing costs and the age of new homebuyers, Helena was ranked No. 1 and Pelham was ranked No. 3.

According to the website, Niche.com’s database contained records for 11,372 suburbs at the time of the analysis. Of the suburbs that met the required qualifications, they graded 11,346 and ranked 3,238.

Helena’s earned an A- as the average overall grade for every public school serving the area, weighing each school by the number of students it serves, according to Niche.com. The city’s crime and safety grade was given a B+.

With a median home value of $178,200, an average monthly housing cost of $1,334 and 35.3 percent of residents being between ages 25 and 44, Helena’s stats were well ahead of No. 2 Taylor from Houston County.

Pelham’s median home value and monthly housing costs aren’t far behind Helena’s with values at $164,800 and average monthly costs at $1,149. The city’s education ranking also matched Helena’s A-.

Residents between the ages of 25 and 44 make up 32.1 percent of Pelham’s residents, and the city’s crime and safety grade was only one grade behind Helena with a B-.

High educational and public safety scores, measured stability in the housing market and high home values, all contributed to Helena and Pelham leading the list of best suburbs in Alabama.