Best Places to Be Rich and Single

It’s no surprise to see Brookline topping a list dedicated to high salaries and socializing. The city is just four miles, or a 15-minute commute, from the many well-paying healthcare, education, and tech jobs in Boston. Plus, Brookline’s location makes it a logical next step for people who need a break from the city or are looking for a place to settle after graduating from one of the area’s many colleges and universities. (Assuming they can afford it: the median home price tops $600,000.) The city’s Coolidge Corner neighborhood is a prime spot for singles to mingle. The art deco Coolidge Corner Theatre is one of the country’s top places to see independent film, and the whole area is dotted with hip coffee shops, independent bookstores, and trendy boutiques.

See why Brookline is the best place to be rich and single.

Lower Merion, home of well-heeled Pennsylvanians, has made the Rich & Single list before. This township, just outside Philadelphia, is particularly great for singles looking for an artsy date. The Main Line Art Center, which organizes a rotating slate of art camps, exhibitions, and workshops, is a good place to start. For cineastes hoping for a chance to show off their film history chops, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute plays indie movies, hosts talks, and shows filmed performances of dance and opera. For those who plan to stick around after they pair up, it’s worth noting that the Lower Merion Academy was one of the first public schools in the country and that the local school system remains strong, making the area a favorite of young parents.

Here’s a clue to why so many singletons flock to Newton (which is also No. 15 on our Best Places to Live list): There are 92 colleges and universities within a 30 mile-radius. As with other Boston suburbs, Newton also benefits from its proximity to the city (10 miles), making it a good choice for people looking for access to great jobs, minus a painful commute. Plus, there are some cool, techie firms right in town, including education company UPromise and travel site TripAdvisor. The dating pool here tends to be pretty active. Come summer, the Charles River is full of people kayaking and canoeing. And runners abound: Heartbreak Hill, the infamously painful section of the Boston Marathon route, cuts a path through Newton. Also painful? The local real estate market; the median home price is nearly $750,000.

The largest city on the Rich and Single list, Arlington is just a 15-minute drive from Washington, D.C., so be prepared to talk politics on your date. The city is ideally situated for singles with an eye on a political or governmental career; the commute to the Capital is quick, and many massive government headquarters, including the Department of Defense, TSA, and DARPA, are located in Arlington proper. Naturally, there are also a range of historically-themed date opportunities in the area. (May we recommend a romantic guided tour of the Pentagon?) For those who prefer a more nature-focused outing, the Mount Vernon Trail, which runs from George Washington’s estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island, is a great place to reminisce about our nation's early leaders and take in scenic views of the Potomac River.

Reston, which is No. 10 on our Best Places list, prides itself on being the country’s first modern planned community. Because the city was designed around its five residential “villages,” it doesn’t have a traditional downtown, but that’s not so say that there’s nowhere for singles to mingle. Reston Town Center is the city’s main gathering spot, and offers socializing opportunities ranging from evening painting classes and classic film screenings to running workshops and wine tastings. Lake Anne Plaza is another popular spot for shopping, snacking or just hanging out by the lake enjoying the free Wi-Fi. For more serious nightlife--or to commute to their high-paying jobs--many residents make the trek to Washington, D.C., a trip that’s gotten quicker and easier with the new D.C. metro extension. Now, you can take the Silver Line from Reston to the capital in about 40 minutes.

These two unincorporated areas offer singles plenty of options (Money groups them together because they share a school district and many town services). In Columbia, they can opt for a planned community composed of nine separate villages, each with its own mix of pools, parks, sports facilities, and more. Or, they can settle in Ellicott City, which has a mish mash of housing stock and a lively downtown. Either way, residents have a reasonable commute to big city employment and entertainment options: Baltimore is a 25-minute drive, and Washington, D.C. is about 40 minutes. No wonder the area comes in at No. 6 on the Best Places list!

Not that folks need to go anywhere to hear top musical acts. Columbia is the home of the Merriweather Post Pavillion, an outdoor venue designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, which has hosted musicians ranging from Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix to Green Day and Tom Jones.

Just over one square mile in size, Hoboken is a happening spot for singles who crave both a small, picturesque community, and easy access to New York City. With their unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline, Hoboken’s Hudson River Waterfront Walkway and Pier A Park, which hosts summer yoga sessions and movie screenings, are among locals’ favorite outdoor hangouts.

Hoboken residents have plenty of access to good jobs in New York and New Jersey, which helps explain the high salaries and low unemployment rate. The city has the highest rate of of mass transit commuters in the country, with 56% of residents hopping trains and buses each day. And despite the easy access to New York City, there’s no need to leave Hoboken for entertainment. The city is full of shops, bars, and restaurants. In fact, it has its own food and culture tour called Mangia Hoboken!, which helps gourmands from in and out of town eat their way around town.

Bowie (No. 28 on the Best Places to Live list) is a diverse city, tucked halfway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Given its compact 18 square miles, Bowie offers plenty of interesting date options: There’s a minor league baseball team, the Bowie Baysox, a playhouse, an 800-seat performing arts center, and some quirky, niche museums—including one dedicated to John Wayne. For athletically inclined singles, there’s ice skating at the Bowie Ice Arena, located in 85-acre Allen Pond Park, or a pick-up game at any of the 75 ball fields.

The city has a full slate of summer activities, including an annual “Bowiefest” festival, a farmer’s market, and a couple of outdoor concert series. For serious nightlife, though, most residents make the hop to D.C., Baltimore or Annapolis.

What’s better than living somewhere packed with wealthy singles? Living somewhere packed with wealthy singles on the beach. Located on the coastal edge of Los Angeles, Redondo Beach’s two miles of waterfront certainly qualifies. Life in the city revolves around the beach, be it surfing, volleyball, or pedaling “The Strand,” a bike path that runs from Torrance to the Pacific Palisades, cutting through Redondo Beach. The city also has a marina and large pier, which is a prime spot to people-watch and eat fresh seafood. There are a few non-beachy attractions in town too, including the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, and Riviera Village, a walkable area that stocked with boutiques, beauty salons, and restaurants.

Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, it’s no mystery why Mountain View is home to so many well-off singles. The city is best known as the location of Google’s global headquarters, but young professionals may also come for jobs at LinkedIn, Intuit, the Mozilla Foundation, creator of the Firefox web browser, or world-class research laboratory NASA Ames.

When it’s time to get social, residents hang out downtown, home of the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, or head to Castro Street, which is lined with restaurants, coffee houses, and bookstores. For a more urban experience, they can also hop on the CalTrain or make the 60 or so minute drive to San Francisco. The downside? Like most of the Bay Area, housing in Mountain View is astronomically expensive, and likely headed even higher.

Eastvale incorporated in 2010, making it one of the newest places on our list. The city, which is growing at a rapid clip, is located on the outskirts of Orange County and Los Angeles, offering residents great access to jobs, restaurants, shopping and much more—provided they don’t mind spending some time in their car. The area is relatively diverse, with large Latino and Asian populations. Because Eastvale is such a young city, singles may find the in-town infrastructure and amenities lacking, but city officials are on the case: Eastvale has adopted a five-year plan to make a range of improvements, including a new library, new arts and culture facilities, and better transit options for commuters.

Located just outside Baltimore, this affluent city is home to Towson University and Goucher College, which may have something to do with the whopping 45% of the population who remain single. Towson is home to the headquarters of Fortune 500 company Black & Decker, and offers easy access to jobs in Baltimore via light rail.

Towson’s downtown is peppered with stores and cafes, and hosts a range of community events such as the Towson Town Festival and annual Christmas Tree Lighting. Residents after serious retail therapy, though, usually head to one of the city’s several malls. Folks looking for other local entertainment ideas may soon have a new resource: the Towson Chamber of Commerce is developing an app to keep residents up-to-date on the latest city news and events.

Franklin Township is located in central New Jersey, close to both Princeton University and Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus. The city is about an hour from New York City on New Jersey Transit, though, due to sometimes nasty traffic, it can take much longer by car. Franklin, which is No. 26 on our Best Places to Live list, was originally a farming community, and the city has managed to hold onto some of that bucolic, small town feel. Indeed, a third of the area remains farmland or recreation preservation, and there are miles of parks and trails for nature-seekers to explore. While Franklin has no real downtown, the nearby college towns of Princeton and New Brunswick offer plenty of bars and restaurants for singles looking for a night on the town.

Wheaton is an affluent community about 25 miles from Chicago. The city has a vibrant downtown, which is home to various shops and restaurants, as well as the weekly Wheaton French market (open April through November), a sort of craft fair meets farmers market. Wheaton has racked up an impressive range of awards over the years, earning national recognition for everything from its public library to its parks and recreation association and healthy community.

This is a particularly great spot for singles who are thinking ahead; Wheaton’s 2014 citizen satisfaction survey found that the vast majority of residents think the city is a good place to raise children. However, those focused on more immediate plans may want to head into Chicago: only 11% of respondents said Wheaton is an excellent place for leisure and entertainment.

Redmond, located east of Seattle, is major tech town, home to Microsoft, Nintendo, and Honeywell campuses, to name just a few. The city’s population is young as well as overwhelmingly single, with a median age of just 34 years old.

This is a great spot for outdoorsy, fleece-wearing types. The city has 41 miles of developed trails and more than 1,340 acres of open space. Redmond also contains the popular Marymoor Park, which attracts more than three million visitors a year. Looking for an unusual date? Check out a Friday night bike race (May through September) at the park’s velodrome, the only one in the state.

NOTE: We limited the list to three places per state, one place per county.