By Andy Sevilla

Kyle’s affordable housing, family-friendly activities and market days has landed the city in the number four spot among best small cities in the country for families, according to a consumer advocacy group.

NerdWallet.com, a personal finance website that advises consumers on money matters, bestowed that designation to Kyle and two other Texas cities among its top ten list of best small cities for families.

Only Sammamish, Wash., and two Texas cities, Wylie and Leander, surpassed Kyle in Nerdwallet’s best list. 

“Like Leander, Kyle is close to Austin, but it’s smaller and more affordable, boasting the lowest home values of our top 20 cities,” Nerdwallet said of its findings. 

NerdWallet analyzed 1,030 U.S. cities with populations from 25,000 to 100,000 based on three factors: income and affordability, prosperity and growth, and family-friendliness.

“I think it is impressive to make the NerdWallet Best Small Cities for Families list,” Diane Hervol, Kyle council member and liaison to the city’s economic development committee, said of the report. “Anytime a community makes a list for its positive attributes is a plus.”

Kyle’s 2013 population is estimated at about 32,000 people, according to NerdWallet, and that figure is expected to swell to 60,000 by 2020. 

“Because Kyle continues to be affordable, more residents are moving here, which encourages more businesses to come and expand here,” Hervol said.

Kyle’s residential and commercial development is on the rise, according to Hervol, and the city’s building permits have increased over the last year. 

NerdWallet found that Kyle’s menu of kid-friendly activities runs the gamut from a disc golf course, to a city pool, sports leagues and summer camps. 

“In the warmer months, on the second Saturday, folks head to Kyle Market Days, where local farmers and vendors converge in the city’s historic City Square Park with a backdrop of live music,” NerdWallet said of Kyle in its report.

When choosing the right place to realize the dream of raising a family in a tight-knit, safe community, affordability, growth and family-friendliness are factors parents consider, according to Nerdwallet.

And though families could find smaller family-friendly cities in every state, NerdWallet’s analysis revealed that some of the best are in Texas and Utah. Seven of NerdWallet’s top 20 cities were in Texas, clustered near Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin or Houston.

Officials said in a statement that while those who live and work in Kyle might argue that it is the top city of any size for families, “we certainly appreciate the recognition.”

Kyle recently added a movie theater, bowling alley and arcade to its list of family-friendly activities available in the city.