New England is an expensive area of the country to live. However, it's all relative.  Along with higher prices come higher wages and income.

Remember the TV show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s?  The audience was enthralled with how the wealthy live, and that is still true today.

More recently, many of the wealthy elite in cities have opted to head at least an hour outside New York or Boston to escape the confines of city living during a pandemic.  This proximity to city life and remote work has created a boom for many cities and towns in the one-hour radius.

Darien, CT via Facebook
Darien, CT via Facebook
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If we look at New York, tiny Connecticut is one of the wealthiest states in the country.

The towns of Connecticut suburbs are dripping with wealth, but two in particular rank in the top 20 wealthiest towns in America. It's not just their proximity to New York, but also the beauty and tradition of these places, built in pre-colonial times.

Darien, CT via Facebook
Darien, CT via Facebook
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Which towns are we talking about?  Coming in at #1 on the list of wealthiest towns in America, according to Veranda.com, is Atherton, California, where the median price of a home value is $7.7 million, and average household income is over $525,000 annually.

Looking at New England, Darien, Connecticut, ranks #10 on the list of America's richest towns, with the average household annual income at over $352,000, and average home values at $1.6 million.  Darien is attractive for its 11 parks, 2 beaches, and various private clubs.

The other richest town in the top 20 list is also in Connecticut.  It's no surprise that Old Greenwich is #16 on the list of richest towns in the country.  Founded in 1641, Old Greenwich is part of the larger Greenwich, Connecticut, but with more history.  Veranda.com says the train station is on the National Registry of Historic Places, and Tod's Point is one of the more beautiful public beaches in a very wealthy community.  The average annual household income in Old Greenwich is $324,000.

If you live in New York or New England, at least you can road trip to these towns, even if you can't afford to live here.

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Gallery Credit: Meg

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