Top 10 Exclusive U.S. Neighborhoods Nobody Knows About
Did you just win the lottery? Buy into Facebook when Zuckerberg was still at Harvard? Or triumph in the latest season of American Idol? If you've struck it rich you may want to consider moving out of that trailer park into somewhere fancier. But where? You've probably heard of Beverly Hills, La Jolla, and Manhattan. Here are the top 10 exclusive neighborhoods in the US you've never heard of, in reverse order.
10. Bethesda, MD
Just a stone's throw from the nation's capital, and right next to the more famous Chevy Chase, Bethesda is where lobbyists, diplomats, bankers, politicians, and venture capitalists retire for the night after a hard day's work running the country. It's a patchwork of old-fashioned suburbia connected to the seat of power via a commutable corridor. An average family home fetches more than a mil in this tiny exclusive enclave. Unbelievable but true; search through properties at a local expert's website on Bethesda real estate for proof.
9. Palos Verdes, CA
The Palos Verdes Hills are actually part of Los Angeles County, but some distance and a whole universe removed from more famous names such as Compton and Watts. Studio executives, actors and other celebrities involved in show business make this pleasant area their home. You may also find the odd multi-millionaire sports figure here, such as Pete Sampras, or basketball star Sasha Vujacic.
8. Albemarle, VA
Albe-what? Albemarle, named after Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, apparently a gender-confused personage who for some strange reason happened to be governor of Virginia back in the 18th century, is where the wealth of the South survives. Many estates in Albemarle were formerly plantations, and while the term 'plantation' has gone out of style, the lavish opulence and predominance of the WASP community hasn't. A pocket of white-bread land in Charlottesville, Albemarle is where multi-millionaire John Grisham does his scribbling.
7. Greenwich, CT
You've heard of Greenwich and Greenwich Mean Time. Who hasn't? But this Greenwich is across the pond, and it's where East Coast money lives. Yacht clubs, country clubs, golf clubs - Greenwich matches the best California has to offer. And, this being New England, it has its own symphony orchestra. Take that, Silicon Valley. What's striking about Greenwich is not so much the absence of moguls and world-famous billionaires, but the large number of 'average' residents with high incomes who drive up property prices in this town, especially New Canaan. If you're born into a good family, go to Ivy League, and keep your ears clean, you end up in Greenwich.
6. Danville, CA
There are plenty of expensive neighborhoods in California. People with oodles of money, or even none at all, tend to leave Kansas and head west. But when asked to name the priciest places in Cali, few include Danville in the list. Located in the San Ramon Valley, this little town is home to quite a few I.T. people, as well as your usual assortment of sports stars and Rowan Atkinson. That's right, Mr Bean now lives in Danville. It's unclear whether property prices went up or down when he moved in.
5. Ridgewood, NJ
No, that's not a typo. There really is an exclusive neighborhood in New Jersey. Located in Bergen County, Ridgewood is home to... nobody famous, except perhaps Dr James Wilson (Dr House's best and only friend). For some reason, all the tony properties in Ridgewood are listed as belonging to folks you've never heard of. Joey "Smiley" Santanelli, who works as a chauffeur for a construction company magnate, owns a $18-million mansion. Christina Lanzoni, employed as a cook, maintains a property estimated at $15 million. Vincent "Slugger" Crestani recently bought a couple of residences priced at more than one million dollars each, but for some reason hasn't quit his day job as bouncer for a gentlemen's club in Newark.
4. Paradise Valley, AZ
Let's say you're a successful plastic surgeon in Dayton, Ohio. For your vacation, you go to an exclusive resort in Arizona. That exclusive resort may well be in the aptly named Paradise Valley, a town in Phoenix. When your vacation is over, you fly back to Dayton to do more nose jobs and facelifts, so that you can come back next year. But there are some people who just stay in the resorts all year - or right next to them. Paradise Valley is home to a dozen resorts and plenty more expensive real estate. You need to invent botox or do something similarly rad to be able to afford a chunk of paradise here.
3. Weston, MA
Weston is the wealthiest suburb of Boston. Every brick in every house in Weston is made of Old Money. The air in Weston smells of Old Money. Even the squirrels are Old Money. In Weston you will find industrialists, financiers, and philanthophists. Or rather, you will find their graves. The current residents are all descended from the industrialists and financiers, and they are generally described as 'socialites' since they do nothing except be rich. Weston is also home for all the players of the Boston Celtics team. Every now and then a fourth-generation scion with diluted genes will squander the family trust fund on drugs or dotcoms, and end up renting or selling the mansion to one of the local basketball players.
2. Blackhawk, CA
Before you ask, Blackhawk has absolutely nothing to do with Apache-brand combat helicopters or the movie Blackhawk Down. Blackhawk is an oversized gated community of 2,500 homes created by Ken Behring, notorious real estate developer and big-game hunter. It was named Blackhawk after an eponymous ranch that pre-dated the community. Apart from the elephant killer himself, E-40 lives in Blackhawk, and no, that's not the first humanoid robot. E-40 is a talented African-American vocalist whose previous name was Earl Stevens.
1. Kenilworth, IL
Kenilworth is another oversized gated community, but it's located in the Midwest. Kenilworth is the only Midwestern neighborhood in this list, because it boasts the concentrated wealth of the entire domain of Flatland. An annual income of a measly 200,000 bucks would identify you as a pool contractor or landscaper in this super-exclusive suburb. Kenilworth is the creme de la creme, because property prices here aren't driven up by a few astronomically rich individuals; every single inhabitant of Kenilworth is well and truly affluent. You need to win not just one but two lotteries - three if it was a split jackpot - to call Kenilworth your home.
10. Bethesda, MD
Just a stone's throw from the nation's capital, and right next to the more famous Chevy Chase, Bethesda is where lobbyists, diplomats, bankers, politicians, and venture capitalists retire for the night after a hard day's work running the country. It's a patchwork of old-fashioned suburbia connected to the seat of power via a commutable corridor. An average family home fetches more than a mil in this tiny exclusive enclave. Unbelievable but true; search through properties at a local expert's website on Bethesda real estate for proof.
9. Palos Verdes, CA
The Palos Verdes Hills are actually part of Los Angeles County, but some distance and a whole universe removed from more famous names such as Compton and Watts. Studio executives, actors and other celebrities involved in show business make this pleasant area their home. You may also find the odd multi-millionaire sports figure here, such as Pete Sampras, or basketball star Sasha Vujacic.
8. Albemarle, VA
Albe-what? Albemarle, named after Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, apparently a gender-confused personage who for some strange reason happened to be governor of Virginia back in the 18th century, is where the wealth of the South survives. Many estates in Albemarle were formerly plantations, and while the term 'plantation' has gone out of style, the lavish opulence and predominance of the WASP community hasn't. A pocket of white-bread land in Charlottesville, Albemarle is where multi-millionaire John Grisham does his scribbling.
7. Greenwich, CT
You've heard of Greenwich and Greenwich Mean Time. Who hasn't? But this Greenwich is across the pond, and it's where East Coast money lives. Yacht clubs, country clubs, golf clubs - Greenwich matches the best California has to offer. And, this being New England, it has its own symphony orchestra. Take that, Silicon Valley. What's striking about Greenwich is not so much the absence of moguls and world-famous billionaires, but the large number of 'average' residents with high incomes who drive up property prices in this town, especially New Canaan. If you're born into a good family, go to Ivy League, and keep your ears clean, you end up in Greenwich.
6. Danville, CA
There are plenty of expensive neighborhoods in California. People with oodles of money, or even none at all, tend to leave Kansas and head west. But when asked to name the priciest places in Cali, few include Danville in the list. Located in the San Ramon Valley, this little town is home to quite a few I.T. people, as well as your usual assortment of sports stars and Rowan Atkinson. That's right, Mr Bean now lives in Danville. It's unclear whether property prices went up or down when he moved in.
5. Ridgewood, NJ
No, that's not a typo. There really is an exclusive neighborhood in New Jersey. Located in Bergen County, Ridgewood is home to... nobody famous, except perhaps Dr James Wilson (Dr House's best and only friend). For some reason, all the tony properties in Ridgewood are listed as belonging to folks you've never heard of. Joey "Smiley" Santanelli, who works as a chauffeur for a construction company magnate, owns a $18-million mansion. Christina Lanzoni, employed as a cook, maintains a property estimated at $15 million. Vincent "Slugger" Crestani recently bought a couple of residences priced at more than one million dollars each, but for some reason hasn't quit his day job as bouncer for a gentlemen's club in Newark.
4. Paradise Valley, AZ
Let's say you're a successful plastic surgeon in Dayton, Ohio. For your vacation, you go to an exclusive resort in Arizona. That exclusive resort may well be in the aptly named Paradise Valley, a town in Phoenix. When your vacation is over, you fly back to Dayton to do more nose jobs and facelifts, so that you can come back next year. But there are some people who just stay in the resorts all year - or right next to them. Paradise Valley is home to a dozen resorts and plenty more expensive real estate. You need to invent botox or do something similarly rad to be able to afford a chunk of paradise here.
3. Weston, MA
Weston is the wealthiest suburb of Boston. Every brick in every house in Weston is made of Old Money. The air in Weston smells of Old Money. Even the squirrels are Old Money. In Weston you will find industrialists, financiers, and philanthophists. Or rather, you will find their graves. The current residents are all descended from the industrialists and financiers, and they are generally described as 'socialites' since they do nothing except be rich. Weston is also home for all the players of the Boston Celtics team. Every now and then a fourth-generation scion with diluted genes will squander the family trust fund on drugs or dotcoms, and end up renting or selling the mansion to one of the local basketball players.
2. Blackhawk, CA
Before you ask, Blackhawk has absolutely nothing to do with Apache-brand combat helicopters or the movie Blackhawk Down. Blackhawk is an oversized gated community of 2,500 homes created by Ken Behring, notorious real estate developer and big-game hunter. It was named Blackhawk after an eponymous ranch that pre-dated the community. Apart from the elephant killer himself, E-40 lives in Blackhawk, and no, that's not the first humanoid robot. E-40 is a talented African-American vocalist whose previous name was Earl Stevens.
1. Kenilworth, IL
Kenilworth is another oversized gated community, but it's located in the Midwest. Kenilworth is the only Midwestern neighborhood in this list, because it boasts the concentrated wealth of the entire domain of Flatland. An annual income of a measly 200,000 bucks would identify you as a pool contractor or landscaper in this super-exclusive suburb. Kenilworth is the creme de la creme, because property prices here aren't driven up by a few astronomically rich individuals; every single inhabitant of Kenilworth is well and truly affluent. You need to win not just one but two lotteries - three if it was a split jackpot - to call Kenilworth your home.
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