With its beautiful weather and booming entertainment business, Southern California is one the most desirable places to live in the U.S. No surprise, then, that it's home to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country, from Beverly Hills to La Jolla.
Stephen Higley, a professor emeritus of urban social geography at the University of Montevallo, recently ranked the richest neighborhoods in the U.S. based on American Community Survey 2006-2010 data.
He aggregated contiguous block groups (subdivisions of Census tracts) with a mean income over $200,000. You can read his complete methodology here.
These are the wealthiest neighborhoods in Southern California, from the areas in and around Los Angeles to San Diego.
These neighborhoods, while still wealthy, generally ranked lower on an overall list of the richest neighborhoods in the U.S. than the neighborhoods in the suburbs surrounding New York City.
#27 The Pinnacle-The Woods-The Forest, Coto de Caza, Orange County
Mean household income: $302,335
318th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
The Pinnacle, The Woods and The Forest are exclusive gated communities in Coto de Caza, Orange County.
The suburb is home to a lot of married couples with kids. Many of the homes are custom-built, with tracts of land still routinely sold for further development.
The Pinnacle-The Woods-The Forest is 84.4% white, 4.8% Asian, 5.3% Latino, 0.7% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#26 Crystal Cove, Newport Beach, Orange County
Mean household income: $302,384
317th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Crystal Cove is on the National Register of Historic Places thanks to 48 cottages that were built between 1920 and 1930. They're examples of Southern California coastal development in the early 20th century.
The cottages have been open to the public since restoration, which is a great tourist spot, along with the area's state park.
Crystal Cove is 64.4% white, 21.3% Asian, 5.5% Latino, 1.3% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
#25 Lunada Bay-Honeymoon Cove, Palos Verdes Estates, Los Angeles County
Mean household income: $304,404
300th richest neighborhood in the U.S.
Located in the Palos Verdes Estates suburb of L.A., Lunada Bay has sprawling views of the Pacific Ocean and a reputation as a surfing hotspot.
Most of the homes in the area are single-family, built between 1940 and 1969. Almost two-thirds of the population is married.
Lunada Bay-Honeymoon Cove is 75.8% white, 13.5% Asian, 5.2% Latino, 0.6% black
Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com
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