EDMONTON - St. Albert has been named Canada’s best small city, with Strathcona County and Lacombe ranked just behind, according to MoneySense magazine’s annual survey, released Wednesday.

St. Albert was also rated second behind only Calgary as Canada’s best place to live, after placing 12th in 2012.

The survey, which bases its rankings on data such as employment, housing prices, crime, weather and household income, was also high on Edmonton. The Alberta capital scored third among large cities, behind top-ranked Calgary and second-place Ottawa.

“There’s something special about this part of Canada,” the magazine said. “The top three towns on our list of best small cities — St. Albert, Strathcona County and Lacombe — are all within an hour’s drive of Edmonton. This is no coincidence.

“Affordable housing, low unemployment and high incomes are some of the reasons why these cities earn top marks. In fact, residents in St. Albert and Strathcona County — a municipality that includes sprawling countryside and urban neighbourhoods like Sherwood Park — have some of the highest house hold incomes in the country.”

St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse said the city rated highly on family-related factors.

The city was ranked No. 3 among best places to raise kids, just ahead of Strathcona County at No. 4 and behind Blainville, Quebec and Calgary.

“It’s a safe community and they speak about the significance of the trail system and the green spaces and the school system,” Crouse said.

“It’s child-supportive, family-supportive and safe.”

St. Albert didn’t rank as highly on affordable housing, Crouse said.

“That’s probably no surprise to a reader, so that’s an area we’ve got to put some more effort toward.”

Crouse said St. Albert has received favourable rankings in the past from other magazines.

“You want to be in the rankings of all of those because individually they mean less, but collectively they mean something.”

Strathcona County Mayor Linda Osinchuk said she was excited and honoured at the ranking.

“It’s been because of a lot of good planning and conscious effort from not only administration but our elected officials to have a vision to be a location for families and for work and to ensure that recreation and culture are a big part of it,” Osinchuk said.

Lacombe Mayor Steve Christie said, “It’s a great day in Lacombe.”

The municipality only gained city status in 2010.

“We are quite a diverse community but young as well,” Christie said. “I think our amenities go to making our quality of life as well.”