3. Lake Forest, IL
Population: 21,320
Median family income: $212,122
Median home price: $1,000,000
By the beginning of the 20th century, a list of Lake Forest's residents read like a "Who's Who" of Chicago's rich and famous. That tradition continues to this day in the exclusive North Shore suburb.
With a town plan heavily influenced by English gardens, Lake Forest is home to mansions and vast estates seated on the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan.
Originally built to support church-related schools in the 1860s, the town surrounds the 107-acre residential campus of Lake Forest College as well as Lake Forest Academy, one of the country's best prep schools.
See complete data and interactive map for Lake Forest
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Last updated July 16 2008: 1:22 PM ET
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