Sharon is one of the most community-minded cities in the continental United States, according to a company called ePodunk.

The Sharon metro area, which encompasses Mercer County, is ranked eighth among cities in ePodunk’s first Home Towns Index. The Ithaca, N.Y., company ranked cities and small towns in the lower 48 states based on community roots and civic spirit.

"A great home town doesn’t have to be flashy," the ePodunk Web site says, "but it must have two things: people who stay for a lifetime, and people who get involved."

To come up with its list of top cities, ePodunk studied every county with a population of 100,000 or more, and picked a city to represent each of the highest-scoring counties. Mercer County’s 89 points ranked eighth among counties, and Sharon was chosen its representative.

"It’s great news. It’s some-thing to be proud of -- for the community, and for the county," said Sharon Mayor Robert T. Price, a lifelong city resident.

"We have a lot of volunteerism and a good quality of life. I’m glad there’s a list like that, and that we’re on it," Price added.

"I think we have a good product (the county), and any time we can get positive P.R. it’s good for the area," added Peggy Mazyck, executive director for the Mercer County Convention and Visitors Center.

Scoring was based on 11 statistics.

Seven stats measured "civic engagement": the proportion of county residents who belong to a church, and to a church that has a strong civic mission; and the number of historic buildings, churches, voluntary organizations, small manufacturers and informal gathering places per resident. Informal gathering places include bars, barbershops, restaurants, and grocery and small retail stores.

Four Census totals measured "rootedness": the proportion of residents who lived in their birth state in 1980 and 1990 and didn’t change addresses during five-year spans ending in 1980 and 1990.

A profile of Sharon at the ePodunk site includes pictures of several city landmarks and links to profiles of the county and area communities, museums, parks and school districts.

No cities on ePodunk’s top 10 list are west of the Mississippi River. Pennsylvania and North Carolina each have three cities in the top 10. Pennsylvania’s troika: Lancaster (4th), Williamsport (7th) and Sharon; Pittsburgh finished 12th. Wisconsin has two cities on the list, including top-ranked Sheboygan; and Massachusetts and Alabama each have one.

The company also ranked small towns, or communities representing counties of less than 100,000 people. The best small town in the country, Greenville, Ala., was one of five Alabama hamlets to make the top 10. Johnstown, Pa., which has a larger population than Sharon, was eighth on the small-town list with 91 points. Johnstown edged out Sharon to be named "top place" in the state by ePodunk.

The study was done by ePodunk Vice President Brad Edmondson and four university professors, including Duquesne’s Michael Irwin and Troy Blanchard.

The ePodunk Web site can be found at www.epodunk.com.