Wednesday, May 20, 2015 10:00 AM

Dalton and Whitfield County have been named among the best places to live in Georgia by a national website aimed at helping people choose where to live and go to school.

Niche.com has ranked Dalton the No. 9 town in which to live in Georgia, and it ranked Whitfield County the No. 34 county in the state in its 2015 rankings.

The site defines a town as any municipality with a population of less than 100,000.

Some local residents said they were surprised by the area receiving such high rankings.

“I don’t know. I expected maybe some of the communities in the Atlanta area might be there,” said Ralph Lee.

Roswell was ranked the No. 1 town by the site, followed by Sandy Springs, Alpharetta and Marietta.

The site gave Dalton its highest marks for easiest commute (A-), things to do (B+) and education (B+). It received its lowest grades for jobs (C) and crime and safety (C+).

The site also rated Dalton the No. 6 town in the state on where to raise a family. In addition to its high mark in education, the city received a B+ for access to grocery stores and a B for both housing and community. It received a C for ...