Most Expensive Town in the U.S. Is Also One of the Most Popular Summer Vacation Destinations

Have you tried guessing?  With so much pricey real estate all over the country it's hard to believe it can be narrowed to down to a single town.

Before I saw which town is the most expensive place to live in the United States, I couldn't help but guess it's going to be on the water. However the wealthy winter and summer havens of  Aspen, Colorado, or Jackson Hole, Wyoming crossed my mind as well but alas, water rules in this case.

So here's who beat out the incredibly wealthy towns along the coastline of California, the affluent southern Florida monied towns, the Hamptons on New York's South Fork of Long Island, and even places like Vail, Colorado.

According to LendingTree.com, the website gurus analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau to focus on towns versus cities. Towns by definition have populations of 10,000 to 50,000 with a more quaint, idyllic environment, and the expensive ones attract the rich and famous for a getaway.

With all that said, the town of Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard is the most expensive town in the United States, with a median home value of $857,600 in a town of around 20,000 year-round residents. The island itself is tiny too sitting just a few miles off the coast of Cape Cod.

It is known for being an affluent playground, especially in the summer where second, third, and even fourth homeowners enjoy an escape. However, even day-trippers will flock onto the quick ferry ride over for some lunch and lounging as well as those how snag a hotel, inn, or Airbnb to enjoy the fun and beauty of the Vineyard. In some cases it's a bucket list vacay.

Here's the crazy part about this study by the way.

According to LendingTree.com, the median income in Vineyard Haven is around $70,000. That's typical in these small vacation spots because the nation’s most expensive towns are often small, popular vacation destinations for wealthy people who spend significant sums of money just for vacations or getaways for half the year.

Yes, this does drive up the prices of homes, which is why not everyone living full-time in these towns are the wealthy ones.