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Brookline, Massachusetts

Randy Duchaine—Alamy Stock Photo

Brookline is a great place for human beings, but perhaps the very best for man’s best friend: Fourteen green spaces in this suburb, four miles west of Boston, allow dogs off leash. (Participating dogs require a permit.)

Meanwhile, residents spend time with two-legged companions at the restaurants and shops in Coolidge Corner, the town hub. It hosts an annual arts festival that brings out the community for live music and handiwork that every age group can enjoy. If art bores, baseball fans can take a 17-minute train ride to Fenway Park.

Homes are pricey — the median sale price comes in at just under $1 million — but median family income tops $143,000, putting Brookline among the most affluent places on Money's list. Football superstar Tom Brady calls the suburb home. But it is hardly a succession of gated communities; nearby colleges and the proximity to Boston give Brookline an attractive vibrancy. — Max Zahn

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