A college town just south of the Twin Cities has landed a coveted spot on Money's 50 Best Places to Live in the U.S.

The personal finance publication called Northfield home to the highly-ranked Carleton and St. Olaf colleges, the perfect place to settle down for those in search of a small town with access to a major metro.

Money cited the city's array of parks, golf courses and scenic trails as a big bonus.

"For many residents, a typical summer day consists of a kayak trip along the Cannon River, which flows directly through town, or a lazy bike ride around Northfield's historic downtown," according to the entry on Northfield.

One of Money's "suburbs with soul" (Is Northfield a suburb? Discuss.) the entry includes a shortened version of the tale of the infamous Northfield Bank Raid of 1876, now celebrated annually with a September festival known as the Defeat of Jesse James Days.

The ranking also deemed housing in Northfield to be relatively affordable, with a median real estate listing price of $420,000.

Money takes a city's job market health, average housing cost, percentage of residents in poverty and the quality of public schools into consideration when building the longtime annual list.

Northfield was the only Minnesota city to secure a spot. Though it's a list of 50, not every U.S. state is represented. The only city to make the list from any of Minnesota's neighboring states was La Crosse, Wis.