[14] Pelham

Diversity: 6 / Housing Costs: 3 / Parks & Recreation: 2 
Property Tax: 4 / Proximity to NYC: 9 / Safety: 8 / Schools: 7 
Proximity to Water: 10 / Nightlife: 5 / Shopping: 7 / Downtown: 8

Often overlooked, the town of Pelham where the median household income is $91,810, has a charming downtown, interesting shopping, and even a nightlife of sorts, thanks especially to the still-in-progress Pelham Picture House, which already has attracted top-notch actors and directors to screen and discuss their films. Also, the village offers a short commute into New York City (31 minutes to Midtown), and it is certainly beautiful, especially its housing stock (average home price: $767,840) of well-kept older homes, some of them sitting smack on the Long Island Sound, alongside the New York Athletic Club and Shore Park. Pelham’s high school students scored an average 1683 on the SATs last year—43 points above the county average. The downside? Pelham ranks low on green space.