It’s official: According to CNN Money Magazine, Carmel is the best small city in the country to live in.

“I feel like everyone kind of has that sense of pride, to know that other people see us as a great place to live,” said Olivia Patterson, member of the Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council and junior. Patterson was featured on the cover of the magazine.

“It’s pride, you know, we’re the best,” she said. “Kids, we represent Carmel.”

According to mayor Jim Brainard, this school played a large role in determining the ranking.

“One of the factors that Money Magazine looked at was test scores,” he said. “Graduation rates and schools

are absolutely number one when it comes to economic development for a city.”

Carmel Clay school board president Layla Spanenberg echoed Brainard’s sentiment.

“Schools really are the root of any community and since we have such a strong school system I think it heavily impacted our ranking,” she said.

According to Jeff Swensson, Superintendent of Carmel Clay Schools, the school system and the city are looking to benefit from the ranking.

“Those kind of metrics from Carmel High School, it’s showing great success, neat things for students and good futures, (which) attract families,” he said.

“We get calls, interesting enough, all the time either in our office or at Carmel High School or the various elementary and middle schools. One of the things that we will say is, ‘New family, whoever you are, we have great classes, great teachers, great kids and did you know that we are Money Magazine’s number one small city in the country now?’” Swensson said.

Brainard said he also believes that being ranked number one can help CHS students.

“Having this sort of name recognition and national attention is going to help with admissions directors at colleges, and that’s going to affect an awful lot of high school students,” he said.

According to Patterson, another benefit of the number one status is that it could motivate youth to get involved in the community.

“What we’re trying to do for the Youth Council is getting the youth involved and I think that with this kind of national ranking, maybe the kids will be like, ‘Carmel’s not that bad, we actually have it pretty good,’” she said.

Regardless, this is not the peak for the city of Carmel, Swensson said.

“We really didn’t intentionally aim to be number one in Money Magazine and neither did the city so…what it really tells people is (that) we are always going to strive to get better,” he said.

Spanenberg said that the ranking is only one of many things for residents to be proud of.

“This is just one more advertisement (for Carmel),” she said. “We all knew we were number one. It just took everybody else to realize we are number one.”