Helena is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in the State of Alabama. Helena is considered a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area. It is also one of three cities, along with Alabaster and Pelham, that make up the area known as "North Shelby" or "North Shelby County". As of the 2010 census the population was 16,793. Helena is highly regarded as a place to live and raise children; Business Week named Helena the 13th "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in 2007. It has the eighth lowest crime rate per population in the U.S., and the city was ranked in Money Magazine's 2007 list of "Best Places to Live: Top 100" in the U.S., placing at number 91.