Those of us who live in Hamilton County, Indiana are not the least bit surprised at the honor being bestowed upon us. Forbes Magazine recently named Hamilton County as the best place in the United States to raise a family. Among the criteria considered was cost of living, affordable housing, short commute times and of course a terrific school system. Admittedly, the results are skewed towards those counties with good school districts.

Forbes first looked for counties with populations of more than 65,000. Then they looked for well funded school districts. They isolated 97 counties where more than half of the per pupil spending comes from property taxes, not always a happy topic for residents, but looks like it is paying off!  Next Forbes eliminated counties with average SAT scores under 1,050 or average ACT scores under 22.  This left 51 counties.

Since raising a family involves more than just good schools , Forbes ranked the remaining counties according to 10 data points:

• Cost of living
• Graduation Rate                                                                              
• Standardized Scores
• Home Price
• Property Tax Rate as a percentage of median home price
• Percentage of home occupied by owner
• Per capita income
• Air quality
• Crime rate
• Commute Time

Hamilton County's roots are in agriculture, but after WWII, the growth in Indianapolis went north and Hamilton County became a suburb of Indy. Hamilton County is one county north of Marion County where Indianapolis is located.

The county is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. The County's population jumped from an estimated 182,740 in 2000 to 261,661 in 2007 according to 2007 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the fastest growing county in Indiana out of 92 counties. In 2006, based on census estimates between 2000 and 2005, Hamilton County was the 18th fastest-growing county in the nation out of 3,141.  Based on census estimates between 2000 and 2007, in 2008, Hamilton County was the 23rd fastest growing county in the nation.

Cities in Hamilton County include:  *Arcadia, *Atlanta, *Carmel, *Cicero, *Fishers, *Noblesville, *Sheridan and *Westfield. Carmel, Fishers and Noblesville have all achieved recognition from various sources for the quality of life afforded their residents.

Noblesville is the County Seat.  The historical courthouse pictured above is still in use today on the town square. Geist and Morse Reservoirs are two man made lakes in Hamilton County that offer residents and visitors many recreational activities, such as boating, skiing, fishing and waterfront properties. Geist is located in Fishers and Lawrence and Morse is located in Noblesville and Cicero.

With so much to offer, it is not surprising that many people are returning to this part of the Midwest and many are relocating and making it their new home.