Bloomberg Businessweek
No. 3 - Ellicott City, MD
Number of households: 25,831
Change YOY: 2.17 percent
Change since 2000: 20.46 percent
Average household income: $121,583
Why: Ellicott City, located between job hubs in Washington and Baltimore, is part of the highly ranked Howard County school system and, according to weichert.com, offers many outdoor recreational activities such as camping, biking, hiking, boating, tennis, and golfing. The median home value in this wealthy suburb was $443,000 in February, compared to $229,300 for the state, according to Zillow.com.
No. 2 - Keller, TX Photo: Getty Images |
No. 2 - Keller, TX
Number of households: 20,429
Change YOY: 4.91 percent
Change since 2000: 108.61 percent
Average household income: $120,348
Why: Texas continues to grow rapidly. Keller, an affluent suburb of Fort Worth, has a low crime rate, an excellent school district, and a variety of housing. It also offers easy access to Fort Worth, major highways, business centers, and the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
No. 1 - Olive Branch, MS Photo: City of Olive Branch |
No. 1 - Olive Branch, MS
Number of households: 14,724
Change YOY: 4.56 percent
Change since 2000: 63.47 percent
Average household income: $102,803
Why: Olive Branch offers comfortable, uncongested living and employment less than 30 minutes from Memphis—"the cultural, financial, and distribution center of the Mid-South," according to the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce. Growth in the area has been attributed to migration from Memphis and growth of the casino resort complex in nearby Tunica County, according to desotocountyonline.