SHERWOOD, Ore. -- The rural community of Sherwood came in at No. 5 on a recent list of America's best small towns for families.
The town earned the high ranking in part due to its quaint historic downtown, top-ranked schools, relatively affordable home prices, according to the CNN/Money Magazine poll.
Sherwood also scored high marks for its proximity to fun stuff, like Willamette Valley wine country, Mt. Hood skiing and hiking, and the Oregon Coast.
We have all the amenities in this little town of a big city, but yet we're still a small town where we know people, talk to each other and it's just a fun place to be, said Sherwood Mayor Bill Middleton.
Sherwood was also a standout for how it weathered the recession and housing market. After a dip, the market there bounced back, with a downtown apartment and retail complex opening soon.
The poll focused on towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Sherwood currently has a population of about 18,000 people.
Sharon, Mass. came in first place, followed by Louisville, Colo., Vienna, Va. and Chanhassen, Minn.
The only other Northwest towns on the list were Newcastle, Wash. and Mill Creek, Wash., which came in at No. 19 and No. 36, respectively.
