Lindsey Bell moved to Rathdrum three years ago because she thought it was a great place to raise her two young daughters.

"I wanted them to grow up in a small town, yet wanted to be fairly close to populated areas," Bell said last week as she was filling up with gas in Rathdrum. "Spokane was just too big for me."

A report by NerdWallet, a San Francisco-based consumer advocacy website, seconded Bell's thoughts on Rathdrum, naming the city sandwiched between the Rathdrum Prairie and Rathdrum Mountain as the fifth-best city in Idaho for being friendly to young families.

Sixty-three Idaho cities with a population greater than 2,000 were part of the analysis, which was based on public school ratings, median home value, cost of home ownership, median income and economic growth/recreation.

Other area cities in the report included: Hayden, No. 7; Sandpoint, No. 8; Dalton Gardens, No. 9; Coeur d'Alene, No. 12; Post Falls, No. 20; and St. Maries, No. 43.

Mike Anderson, NerdWallet analyst, said the North Idaho cities placed high because of quality schools based on test scores and recreation opportunities.

"Rathdrum is an excellent choice for families who love spending time together in the outdoors," Anderson said. "The town is surrounded by 245,000 acres of national forest and 13 lakes for fun recreation."

McCall, nestled near the Payette National Forest between Lewiston and Boise, received the top ranking.

Rathdrum officials say their city's ranking isn't a surprise.

"Rathdrum has the basic services and the small-town feel yet close to the larger cities for additional amenities," said Brett Boyer, city administrator. "Rathdrum has great schools, city recreation programs and parks that young families all desire. People feel safe here. Prices for homes are affordable and lower than much of the area."

Tom Taggart, Lakeland School District finance director, agrees.

"The city has done an excellent job in developing parks, adding pathways and offering park and recreation activities for all ages," said Taggart, adding that test scores in schools continue to be high.

Anderson said community pride and education are reasons why NerdWallet compiles the report.

"We hope that residents living in these towns can take pride in their community," Anderson said. "I also view something like this as a general guide to home ownership.

"People too often consider costs in a vacuum, but I think it's more important to take a holistic approach. Here, for example, the value of a home doesn't mean a whole lot alone. If you're looking to buy a home and deciding on a community, it's more important to couple the median cost of a home with median income in the area. This is what makes a place like Coeur d'Alene more family-friendly than San Francisco."

All of the categories used in compiling the rankings carried the same weight.

"We do reports like these to make financial decisions more transparent," Anderson said. "Generally, our aim is to make data more accessible and do the math for our readers."

Rank City Great Median Owner's Median Growth Overall

schoolshome value cost income '99-'11

5 Rathdrum 8 $167,200 $1,265 $47285 14.9% 69.9

7 Hayden 7 $200,800 $1,376 $47,864 29% 66.5

8 Sandpoint 7 $217,800 $1,282 $41,851 28.9% 65.7

9 Dalton 7 $338,000 $1,612 $58,269 30.8% 64.5

12 Cd'A 7 $192,700 $1,305 $40,132 21.6% 64.1

20 Post Falls 6 $187,400 $1,328 $48,689 24.6% 60.6

43 St. Maries 5 $119,400 $971 $35,523 10.8% 53.3

View the complete study here on Nerdwallet.com