#25 Purchase in Harrison, N.Y.
Mean household income: $464,955
Purchase is a more rural area of the town of Harrison. It features winding roads and lots of wooded areas.
National corporations like MasterCard and PepsiCo have established their headquarters in Purchase along I-287, which is known as "Platinum Mile."
In the 1970s, some residents in Purchase pushed for the neighborhood to secede from Harrison and become its own village over concerns about over-development. But the plan did not come to fruition.
Purchase is 95.1% white, 3.4% Asian, 4.9% Latino, 2.0% black
#24 Chevy Chase Village in Chevy Chase Village, Md.
Mean household income: $466,049
This village, less than a half square mile, sits on the line between Maryland and the District of Columbia. The Chevy Chase Land Company transformed the farmland into a carefully planned suburb.
The founders disdained the city aesthetic and envisioned houses with broad verandas, patterned shingles and decorative cornices.
Chevy Chase Village is 93.4% white, 1.6% Asian, 2.8% Latino, 0.5% black
#23 Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Fla.
Mean household income: $467,715
Palm Beach was established by Standard Oil Tycoon Henry Flagler in 1902 when Flagler completed construction of two luxury hotels and built himself a luxury mansion.
Within Palm Beach, the Everglades Golf Club has long been a bastion of exclusive Southern prestige and a fair bit of scandal for its membership requirements.
The club was originally built by Paris Singer, son of the sewing machine inventor, to serve as a hospital for returning World War I veterans. When the hospital failed to open, Singer turned the sprawling building into Palm Beach's first private club.
Everglades Club is 89.9% white, 0.8% Asian, 6.3% Latino, 1.4% black
#22 Snapper-Hammock in Coral Gables, Fla.
Mean household income: $481,124
The Snapper and Hammock areas of Coral Gables sit slightly south of Miami. Many of the homes are on private lakes, and some are on canals.
Snapper-Hammock is 65.0% white, 1.6% Asian, 32.3% Latino, 0.2% black
#21 Diablo in Contra Costa County, Calif.
Mean household income: $492,897
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Diablo plays home to Mount Diablo State Park on the Pacific Coast.
The popular PC video game Diablo was named after the mountain since David Brevick, the game's creator and co-founder of Blizzard, grew up in the area. Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck also grew up nearby
Diablo is 89.4% white, 4.7% Asian, 3.4% Latino, 0.0% black
#20 Jupiter Island in Marin County, Fla.
Mean household income: $493,705
Jupiter Island was a pineapple plantation that shifted hands several times until the start of the 20th century.
Plantation executives began the islands long golf tradition, playing against one another as early as the 1890s.
Incorporated in 1953, Jupiter Island's strict low-density zoning has created one of the most lightly populated barrier islands in the U.S.
Tiger Woods, Celine Dion, and Baltimore Ravens owner Stephen Biscotti al have homes on the island.
Jupiter Island is 88.5% white, 2.6% Asian, 6.9% Latino, 2.0% black
#19 McLean Country Estates in McLean, Va.
Mean household income: $498,944
McLean Country Estates is a very small community with only 30 single family homes developed in 1984. It largely features colonial architecture with homes sitting on a half-acre of land each.
The Estates sit within McLean, Va., an unincorporated community northwest of Washington, D.C.
McLean Country Estates is 81.0% white, 10.7% Asian, 4.8% Latino, 0.7% black
#18 Beverly Park-Beverly Crest in Los Angeles, Calif.
Mean household income: $502,440
Beverly Park and Beverly Crest are both gated communities in the hills of Los Angeles' west side.
Elite private school Harvard-Westlake is within the boundaries of Beverly Crest.
Beverly Park is a popular neighborhood for wealthy celebrities and businessmen thanks to its seclusion and security. Home Ownership Association fees cover a constant patrol of the area by armed guards.
Beverly Park and Beverly Crest are 80.5% white, 6.5% Asian, 4.8% Latino, 3.3% black
#17 Hunting Valley in Cleveland, Ohio
Mean household income: $507,214
Located east of Cleveland, the village of Hunting Valley has a population of just over 700, according to the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1968.
The area is the wealthiest community in the state of Ohio. It served as the inspiration for Sarah Strohmeyer's book "The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives."
Hunting Valley is 94.3% white, 1.1% Asian, 2.7% Latino, 0.6% black
#16 Round Hill-North Greenwich in Greenwich, Conn.
Mean household income: $510,848
Round Hill joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 with a district school that dates back to 1750, among other early structures.
North Greenwich and Round Hill play home to a lot of financiers and hedge fund managers who work either in downtown Greenwich, where many firms have headquarters, or Manhattan.
The town of Greenwich, the municipality that sits farthest southwest in Connecticut, was established in 1640 by the British daughter-in-law of John Winthrop, the Massachusetts colony founder.
Round Hill-North Greenwich is 97.5% white, 0.0% Asian, 2.4% Latino, 0.1% black
#15 Greenway Parks in Dallas, Tex.
Mean household income: $511,549
Greenway Parks sits north of Dallas, close to Southern Methodist University. The community was the brainchild of Corsicana Bedding investor F.N. Drane and Dallas entrepreneur J.P. Stephenson. They wanted to build a swath of homes around an English-style common green.
David Williams, known as the father of Texas modern architecture, planned the neighborhood in 1925 around common areas, parkways and parks.
The Texas Society of Architects named Greenway Parks one of the state's best places. Since its inception, Dallas' finest architects and designers have renovated homes in the area.
Greenway Parks is 94.6% white, 1.5% Asian, 3.2% Latino, 0.0% black
#14 Murray Hill - Heathcote in Scarsdale, N.Y.
Mean household income: $516,671
Scarsdale was officially founded in 1788 and played a big enough part in the American Revolution for James Fennimore Cooper to base his novel "The Spy" on the colonial town.
Heathcote is a neighborhood named for a railroad station that was named for local landowner Caleb Heathcote.
Famous residents of Scarsdale have included Susan Lucci, Linda McCartney, and Liza Minelli.
Murray Hill-Heathcote is 88.1% white, 9.7% Asian, 2.5% Latino, 2.0% black
#13 Hills Heights-Brewer Subdivision in Hillsborough, Calif.
Mean household income: $519,024
The Brewer Subdivision in Hillsborough, Calif., features 1950s-era homes. The area sits closes to downtown San Mateo in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is bordered by the Hills Heights neighborhood.
Residents enjoy its proximity to city amenities like restaurants and shops, but it's also less than half a mile from the historic El Camino Real, or The Royal Road, which connects 21 missions and several pueblos along 600 miles.
Hills Heights-Brewer Subdivision is 70.5% white, 12.8% Asian, 2.1% Latino, 0.4% black
#12 Westlake in Westlake, Tex.
Mean household income: $526,590
An upscale suburb of Fort Worth,Westlake has a population of just over 700, according to the 2010 census. The area was originally settled in 1847 by Charles and Matilda Medlin with about 20 other families.
In the 1950s, a Dallas attorney and oilman occupied 2,000 acres of the area, which is south of Lake Grapevine. When the town became incorporated later that decade, a town called Southlake already existed so ranchers and homeowners took the name Westlake.
The Jonas Brothers bought a sprawling ranch in the town in 2008.
Westlake is 82.8% white, 9.4% Asian, 4.8% Latino, 2.5% black
#11 Gable Estates-Tahiti in Coral Gables, Fla.
Mean household income: $531,447
The Gable Estates neighborhood takes up 200 acres of Coral Gables coastline. Renowned industrialist Arthur Vining Davis developed the area in the early 1960s with sea-walled canals winding through the estate homes.
It's close to Miami's International Airport, Biscayne Bay and national parks.
Gable Estates-Tahiti is 48.4% white, 3.7% Asian, 51.6% Latino, 0.2% black
#10 Greenhaven in Rye, N.Y.
Mean household income: $540,403
The pristine Greenhaven section of Rye, N.Y., has two beaches. It sits just south of Greenwich, Conn., along the Long Island Sound. Rye has 14 miles of coastline.
The quaint village of Greenhaven features mostly Tudors and colonial style homes. It's also known for its rigorous school system, and school taxes that are about 23% higher here than for the rest of Rye.
Greenhaven is 88.5% white, 4.3% Asian, 4.8% Latino, 0.9% black
#9 Pelican Hill-Pelican Crest in Newport Beach, Calif.
Mean household income: $549,659
The Pelican Crest and Pelican Hill communities sit on the Pacific Coast of Southern California within the Newport Beach area. Homes in these gated communities are built with 180-degree views of the ocean.
Each neighborhood contains around 100 homes and are near the John Wayne Orange County Airport.
Pelican Hill-Pelican Crest is 77.0% white, 23.0% Asian, 4.3% Latino, 0.4% black
#8 Cameo Shores-Cameo Highlands in Newport Beach, Calif.
Mean household income: $554,721
Located across from each other, Cameo Shores and Cameo Highlands each offer about 150 homes. The communities share access to private, gated beaches and Roxbury Park.
Many of the homes are single-leveled with terraces for easy upkeep and so that they maintain an ocean view.
Cameo Shores-Cameo Highlands is 79.8% white, 8.8% Asian, 3.2% Latino, 0.2% black
#7 Swinks Mill-Dominion Reserve in McLean, Va.
Mean household income: $562,596
Swinks Mill and Old Dominion are exclusive roads within McLean, Va., an unincorporated community northwest of downtown Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1910, and takes its name from John Roll McLean, the former publisher and owner of The Washington Post.
It's also the site of a railway stop on the train that takes workers from Virginia to the nation's capital.
Swinks Mill-Dominion Reserve is 59.8% white, 16.8% Asian, 3.5% Latino, 2.2% black
#6 East Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Ill.
Mean household income: $593,454
East Lake Shore Drive is a historic district in the Near North Side of Chicago that overlaps with the Gold Coast. The area includes eight buildings built by the architects Benjamin Marshall, a Chicago native, and Charles Eli Fox. The men were best known for their classic luxury hotels and apartment buildings.
The buildings on East Lake Shore were constructed between 1912 and 1929, and are evidence of the city's boom in luxury apartments during the early 20th century. Their style derives from England, France, and Italy, and helped establish the apartment building as an acceptable alternative to large townhouses and estates.
East Lake Shore Drive is 97.7% white, 1.3% Asian, 2.3% Latino, 2.5% black
#5 Carderock-The Palisades in Potomac, Md.
Mean household income: $595,669
Just west of Bethesda, the Carderock neighborhood sits along the Potomac River and is best known for the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, which specializes in wartime ship design.
The area is full of adventure activities like rock climbing and water sports. It also features a local pool and professional golf course.
Carderock-The Palisades is 73.6% white, 16.1% Asian, 5.6% Latino, 3.0% black
#4 Old Cutler-Hammock Oaks in Coral Gables, Fla.
Mean household income: $596,851
Old Cutler Road, south of Miami, stretches 14.9 miles from northeast to southwest. It starts at the Coral Gables Waterway and creates a scenic spaces along which large properties have been built since the road's inception in the 1870s.
Old Cutler-Hammock Oaks is 47.9% white, 1.4% Asian, 47.7% Latino, 1.5% black
#3 Potomac Manors in Potomac, Md.
Mean household income: $599,331
The small neighborhood of Potomac Manors in Potomac, Md., includes just 42 custom-built luxury homes on lots up to two acres.
The area is zoned for some of the highest ranked schools in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, including Winston Churchill High School, and is a short commute into the nation's capital.
Potomac Manors is 78.1% white, 17.7% Asian, 5.7% Latino, 1.3% black
#2 Bradley Manor-Longwood in Bethesda, Md.
Mean household income: $599,440
The Longwood and Bradley Manor neighborhoods of Bethesda sit northwest of Washington, D.C., just inside the Capital Beltway. Longwood in particular is known for its generous lot sizes and custom-built properties.
Both are close to McCrillis Gardens, a family-friendly public area, while Bradley Manor plays home to The Woods Academy, an independent Catholic School, and the Old Georgetown Club pool.
Bradley Manor-Longwood is 80.0% white, 8.4% Asian, 5.0% Latino, 3.3% black
#1 The Golden Triangle in Greenwich, Conn.
Mean household income: $614,242
The Golden Triangle refers roughly to homes in the mid-country section of the city of Greenwich, Conn., which encompasses nearly two-thirds of the town's geography.
One- and two-acre lots are most common. The remarkable amount of open space compared to the rest of Greenwich comes from preservation efforts led by the Greenwich Land Trust and other conservation organizations.
In addition to palatial estates, the area is known for various waterways, winding country roads, forests, meadows and gorges carved by past glaciers.
The Golden Triangle is 87.3% white, 7.4% Asian, 2.5% Latino, 1.9% black
