RANDOLPH COUNTY - Great access to health care and a high percentage of college-bound students in a rural setting are two key reasons why editors of The Progressive Farmer magazine in Birmingham, Ala., rank Randolph County as the third-best rural place to live in the United States.

"We were impressed with the fact that there is a lot of community involvement in Randolph County," said Jack Odle, publication editor. "There is also planned growth and development, which prevents conflicts with farmland and allows the county to conserve its agricultural heritage. So many rural counties get overwhelmed by development, but that is not the case there."

Odle said the student to teacher ratio of 13 to 1 was an attention grabber, as was a low crime rate.

"There are actually a lot of good reasons for the ranking," he said. "With hospitals in Chester, Sparta and Red Bud, there is clearly great access to health care. And the percentage of college-bound students (91 percent) is much higher than the rural America average of 60 percent."

Odle added that the opening of the world trap shooting facility in Sparta is another plus for Randolph County.

"I've been there and that facility is going to make a bigger and better impact on tourism in the years to come."

Barren County, Ky., is ranked top on the magazine's list of best places to live, followed by Warren County, Pa., at No. 2.

Odle said he and his editorial staff partnered with OnBoard LLC, a nationally acclaimed real estate research firm in New York City, in compiling the rankings. This year marks the third year that the magazine has put together a list of best places to live.

"There are about 3,500 counties in the United States, 2,700 of which are rural," Odle said. "We made our initial cut at 600 counties and then cut that number in half to 300 before picking our Top 10. We don't take these rankings lightly. We think that for a county to be listed in the top 300 is amazing enough. The residents of Randolph County should feel proud."

Chester Mayor Marty Bert said the magazine's ranking was music to his ears.

"It's really exciting," he said. "I understand they really liked our Popeye picnic and we've added a Wimpy statue to go along with our Popeye statue. We're also creating a Popeye and friends character trail with a three-figure statue (Olive Oyl, Jeep and Swee 'Pea) outside the courthouse."

Bert said he believes hard work does indeed pay dividends.

"We're working hard to clean up the town as part of the Beautify Southern Illinois campaign," the mayor said. "It's little things like that which can lead to bringing more tourism to the town and county."

Sparta Mayor Randy Bertetto said the ranking was "quite an accomplishment" and that the city and county should feel honored.

"It makes you feel like things are going in the right direction," Bertetto said. "What we're trying to do here in Randolph County is be creative when it comes to tourism and recreation. The shooting complex, for example, is a new source for revenue because it brings people here and more people mean more business. The exposure we're getting in this magazine article sure doesn't hurt either."

Bertetto said community leaders in the county recognize the importance of working together for the greater good of the county and the region as a whole.

"That's our future. We all need to help one another."

john.homan@thesouthern.com

(618) 351-5805