Photo: Courtesy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.Sorry about this, Josh Schwartz fans. Neither the O.C. or the Upper East Side hit the top of geographer Stephen Higley's list of America's richest neighborhoods. Yeah, they're both up there. But, neither holds a candle to a lovely, moneyed part of Fairfield County, Connecticut, known to realtors and writers who grew up nearby (ahem) as "The Golden Triangle."
Encompassing the super-rich sections of Greenwich, the average mean household income is around $614,242. From personal experience, this writer can tell you that the area does house a number of working-class residents, but that's thrown off by a decent handful of folks who own their own beachfront peninsulas complete with helipads. Suffice to say, it's nice out there.
Actually, Greenwich represents a number of the hallmarks Atlantic Monthly writer Richard Florida says are key to luring the 1%. Walkability and an easy commute to a major business center are high priorities. Alas, Florida also notes that most of these areas are run toward the racially homogenous — a sign of who still owns most of the wealth in this country. Actually, these 1,000 top neighborhoods only house two million people, a mere 0.6% of the American population. But, we can't hate on this, though we can dream of ruining property values by moving in and having backyard amateur wrestling competitions.
For the full list of high-price 'hoods, click over here and do check out The Atlantic's full unpacking of the list. (The Atlantic)