Fourth place doesn’t sound very exciting ‘ it’s off the podium after all ‘ but Mayor Peter Kelly is proud of Halifax’s ranking this year on MoneySense magazine‘s best places to live in Canada.

It’s probably because Halifax jumped to fourth from last year’s placing of 21st.

“It’s nice to see they’re finally recognizing the options and the beauty of this area because it’s all there,” Kelly said. “We’ve known it for years and we’re stepping up there going from 21 to number four is a great jump.”

The personal finance and lifestyle magazine ranks 190 Canadian cities each year in categories such as house prices, crime rates, employment, and health care. Each city or town with a population of 10,000 people or more is ranked against 22 categories, which include climate, ease of travel, affordable housing, and population growth.

Halifax’s jump was due to gains in employment and population growth, the magazine said.

“The move was due to an improved unemployment rate (5.5 per cent) following growth in the transportation, education and service sectors,” the magazine reads.

“The city also gets high marks for the number of people who bicycle or walk to work, its affordable housing, decent public transit system, high household income, culture, and the number of health-care professionals and doctors.”