Analysts rank McCook high for young families

Is McCook a good place for young families to live?

Yes, according to NerdWallet, a consumer advocacy website, which listed McCook among the top 10 towns in Nebraska when it comes to three basic questions:

1. Does the town have good public schools?

2. Can you afford to live there?

3. Is the town growing and prospering?

McCook was seventh, behind Gretna, Seward, Gothenburg, York, Aurora and Holdrege. Broken Bow was eighth, followed by Falls City and La Vista.

Only McCook and Falls City were listed as not near one of the state's big cities.

NerdWallet came up with the list to help tech-savvy young families and parents-to-be by ranking towns according to public school ratings, median home value, cost of home ownership, median income and economic growth.

McCook's ranking was boosted by the town's cost of living, education system and economic growth in particular. The school district received a seven-out-of-10 rating from the education nonprofit, GreatSchools. McCook is also the third-most affordable town for homeownership among towns on the list.

McCook was listed with a median home value of $76,000, monthly owner cost of $897, median household income of $39,375, 26.6 percent growth from 1999-2011 and an overall score for young families of 68.3.

The leading town, Gretna, had a median home value of $166,200, monthly owner costs of $1,464, median household income of $76,378, growth of 52.4 percent and overall young family score of 79.2.

"McCook is a great place for active families who seek quality time together outdoors," said NerdWallet analyst Mike Anderson. "The town is near 19,000 acres of state recreation areas, which boast many opportunities for hunting and fishing," he said.

We've always felt like McCook had a lot to offer as a place to live. It's great to see our town receiving the recognition it deserves.

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