Indianapolis has won many accolades. In recent years, it has been praised for its greenways, Downtown development, community sports opportunities and relatively low home prices.

And now, it is being recognized as one of the nation's best places for children.

Last year, America's Promise, an alliance founded by retired Gen. Colin Powell to benefit the nation's youth, named Indianapolis one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People. The award, the alliance's first, celebrates communities large and small that have managed to provide programs that fulfill the five promises it has identified as being crucial to youth: caring adults, safe places to go, a healthy start in life, effective education and opportunities to help others.

Indianapolis is among the largest cities honored -- winning communities ranged in size from 850 people to nearly 2 million, with about half of them being in urban areas. Evansville also made the "100 Best" list.

The Indianapolis Mayor's Office and Junior Achievement, a nonprofit organization that helps students prepare for the real world through various business education programs, spearheaded the application process. JA researcher Stephanie Stilson and Deputy Mayor Jane Henegar worked together on the application, gathering statistics and other necessary data.

"This was one of the most comprehensive, difficult applications I've ever tackled, and that's a good thing. They really wanted some good data," Stilson said.

Stilson said she thought Indianapolis had a good shot at winning the award because it has both urban and rural settings. "You don't have to travel very far to see rural areas. You have the excitement of the city. You have the support of the suburbs. It's an interesting collaboration of socioeconomic levels, yet it's not so diverse that we don't work well together," she said.

Henegar believes Indianapolis won because it is a great "combination of honesty and effort." "We have lots of things going for us in Indianapolis. We have affordable housing. We have a stable and growing economy. Not every major city can say that. We have arts and culture options," she added.

The selection panel, which included former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and baseball great Cal Ripken Jr., praised Indianapolis' focus on strong families, noting its investments in public safety, affordable housing and recreational opportunities.

Furthermore, they cited the city's effective effort to reduce its infant mortality rate, which used to be one of the worst in the nation, and the number of high school dropouts. Indianapolis also was commended for mentorship programs aimed at young fathers and pregnant teens, and for its Youth as Resources program, which last year funded 125 youth-directed projects that provided service opportunities for more than 3,600 young people.

Members of the Mayor's Youth Council, a service group that provides Mayor Bart Peterson with a youthful viewpoint, agree that Indianapolis offers plenty of opportunities for recreation and growth for young people.

"We have so many opportunities, like in culture, in sports, in schools, but it still has the small-town feeling that everyone kind of knows everyone and everyone has a chance to be involved," said Hannah Kennedy, 15, a sophomore at Park Tudor School.

"It's been the greatest place to grow up."

John Thornburgh, 18, agreed, citing the many programs here that benefit youth, such as Teen Court and Junior Achievement, which "go beyond just the schooling and let them learn more and eventually help them succeed later in life."

A Park Tudor senior, he also pointed to the Youth Council as another great way for youth to serve and be heard in Indianapolis politics.

Hannah praised the wide array of programs for youth in sports, music and art in the city and said teens owe it to themselves and their community to pursue their interests. "You can be involved in your school, but if you can make the world a better place, that's a lot more important," she said.

John also would like to see more youth getting involved in service. "I think the most important thing is for youth to help other youth, and I think that that breeds success," he said.

While this award is an honor, the youth cautioned that there are still problems in Indianapolis. For instance, Indianapolis is the 13th most obese city in the United States, according to Men's Fitness magazine.

John suggested that one way to improve fitness is by keeping sports programs in schools. "I would hope that Indianapolis chooses to keep as many sports teams as they can. I know they're trying to consolidate some of those sports teams in the IPS schools, but I hope they would keep them, to give everybody an opportunity."

He and Hannah also would like to see more funding of public education in Indianapolis, especially for IPS. "You can't just underfund schools and expect to graduate as many people who are qualified, who are well-prepared for college and the world beyond," John said.

Stilson believes another area to improve is marketing and financial education. "We want to partner with IPS, and we would like every student to have the opportunity to come to Exchange City and to Finance Park," she said, referring to two JA programs that target fifth-graders and eighth-graders, respectively.

But that is not the extent of JA's goals. Stilson would like to see programs that teach students how to market themselves and plan for their futures. "I think with the de-emphasis of vocational training in high school, students aren't getting as much direct employability education," she said.

Henegar would like to see more public-private partnerships to address some of Indianapolis' shortcomings. As an example, she cited "Success by 6," an early- childhood-development initiative of the mayor's office, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and United Way "to make sure that kids between 0 and 6 years old have what they need so that when they start school, they can succeed," she said.

Henegar and Stilson say they are proud of what Indianapolis has done to earn this honor, and they hope that the award will benefit the city in turn.

Stilson predicts the award may prompt more people to look at Indianapolis as a good place to live. "If you're thinking of moving somewhere, perhaps you will look closely at Indianapolis before you relocate a family."

John said he hopes the award makes Indianapolis even more determined to work on its weaknesses. "If anything, it should motivate people to work harder to make Indianapolis an even better city for youth."

Stilson agrees. "Let's look at these 99 other places (honored) and see what kind of education they provide. What do cities that really excel in education do?" she said.

Another thing the award should do, John says, is make people appreciate Indianapolis more. "The thing Indianapolis needs to do to keep youth here is just promote the idea that it's a great place to live, it's a great place to raise a family, and it's a great place to go to school. Sometimes people are going to want to move away for a short time to experience a different atmosphere or whatever, but I think that in the end they will realize they want to come back here," he said.

REPORTER: Justin Byers, 13.