These Are The Most Desirable Neighborhoods In America For 2025

Neighborhoods make up our cities: small networks of homes, parks, and shops that bring a sense of community to places that might otherwise feel overwhelming. Cincinnati, for instance, is known as "a city of 52 neighborhoods," each with a distinct personality, social calendar, and history. In Manhattan, there's a world of difference between living on the Upper East Side and the Lower East Side, and there are even slight differences between neighborhoods in America's suburbs. Just think of "East Egg" vs. "West Egg" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."

According to economist Jonathan Smoke, per Realtor.com, "What exactly a neighborhood is very amorphous ... There is no single authority defining it." Cambridge Dictionary, for instance, describes it both as "an area with characteristics that make it different from other areas, or the people who live in a particular area" and "the area of a town that surrounds someone's home..." The consensus? "It's an area." Ultimately, we're defining a neighborhood as a community, the type of place where you might recognize someone at the grocery store — and even pause to stop and chat now and then.

Factoring in everything from aesthetic beauty and the job market to recent home sales and public school ratings, as well as reviews on Niche, we've carefully selected the 11 most desirable neighborhoods of 2025, ranked alphabetically, each with its own set of charms, quirks, and community traditions.

Nestled in the small city of Boynton Beach, which is less than 60 miles from Miami, is Aberdeen. Here, locals enjoy proximity to Aberdeen Golf & Country Club, which has an 18-hole course, as well as tennis courts, pickleball courts, and an aquatic center. There's even an upscale restaurant by the pool (aptly named Oasis) as well as a regular offering of fitness classes and events, including cocktail nights and concerts.

Streets are lined with palm trees and Mediterranean-style homes, whose red rooftops stand boldly against the (typically blue) sky. Small ponds dot the landscape. Most of the properties date back to the 1980s and early '90s, when the community was developed. At the time of writing, the median sold home prices were approximately $415,000, which is on par with, if not less than, the national median. There are public schools within walking distance, and plenty of grocery and restaurant options to the south.

Along with Miami, which is about an hour-and-a-half away, depending on traffic, other nearby cities include Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, all of which line the Atlantic coast. It's easy to find a direct flight to pretty much anywhere from this part of Florida, and the proximity of cities also means a thriving job market and arts scene. For example, make sure to visit attractions like the Morikama Museum and Japanese Gardens, which have indoor-outdoor exhibits and year-round event offerings not far from Aberdeen.

Thousands of miles across the country from Florida is Los Angeles and the close-knit, luxurious neighborhood of Beverly Crest, a subset of the star-studded Beverly Hills. Primarily developed after World War II, this Lala Land community is coveted for its natural beauty. Whereas much of Aberdeen's landscape was mostly man-made, Beverly Crest's beauty dates back thousands and thousands of years. Residents enjoy views of the Santa Monica Mountains and access to hiking trails, especially in Franklin Canyon Park. Jayde's Market is the go-to neighborhood grocery store, and homes vary dramatically in architectural style. You'll find everything from mid-century ranches to Spanish-inspired mansions surrounded by carefully sculpted shrubbery. The median sale price for a single-family home is more than $3.5 million, but some are listed for upwards of $20 million.

According to residents via Trulia, the area is also home to a top-rated magnet school, Wonderland Elementary, and properties have a habit of increasing in value. "It's very difficult to appraise homes in a mixed neighborhood like [Beverly Crest]," property specialist Drew Mandile previously told the Los Angeles Times. "So you could buy a home for a million-and-a-half dollars, for example, fix it up and sell it for $4 million because the comparable homes in that area are difficult to compare." In other words, it pays off to invest here. But you'll want a car for your morning commutes to work in fields like tech, entertainment, and national defense, since public transit in LA is notoriously spotty.

The fictional village of Stars Hollow is part of what made the television show "Gilmore Girls" so popular. But the small town scenes — yes, even in episodes where it snows — were actually filmed on the Warner Bros. set in Burbank, California. If you're looking for a real-life Stars Hollow equivalent, Norwich, Connecticut, and specifically the downtown neighborhood of Central Norwich, is worth checking out. It has all the charm of the show: quirky community events like the NorWITCH Strut on Halloween, a small performing arts center, and antique storefronts. It's seen quite a bit of growth over the years, too. "I am proud of the continued focus on revitalizing neighborhoods through homeownership, business development, and the recreational opportunities offered to our youth," says local representative Derrell Wilson, per The Bulletin, adding, "There's something for everyone in Norwich."

The neighborhood is less than 60 miles from New Haven and 40 miles from Hartford, where it's common for locals to work. And there's also plenty to do in town, like explore the restaurant scene. According to one resident via Reddit, "Norwich food is better than it has any right to be." Highlights include Royal Punjabi, Harp & Dragon, JoJo's Breakfast & Mexican, and plenty more. Housing prices vary, hovering between $160,000 and $470,000 for single-family options. Some properties date all the way back to the mid-1800s, their Victorian-era, decorative trim setting Central Norwich apart as an architectural gem.

Soon after you cross the Bourne Bridge into Cape Cod, Massachusetts' peninsula and playground for the so-called "summer people," you'll find Sandwich, one of America's oldest towns, teeming with art galleries, beaches, and trails. East Sandwich is located on the Cape Cod Bay and living here means living a short walk away from rolling sand dunes and rustic cottages, weathered after decades of salty air. In the fall, cranberry bogs turn red in time for harvest and summer crowds clear out, leaving behind the loyal year-rounders. Green Briar Nature Center, which inspired the tale of Peter Rabbit, is also nearby. It hosts story times for kids as well as adult jam-making classes. In other words, East Sandwich feels like a neighborhood right out of a children's book.

Single-family homes here range from around $600,000 to a few million, and the neighborhood's most expensive properties offer sweeping views of the Atlantic. Although the winters can get a little quiet, according to reviews on Niche, you can always warm up inside Father's Kitchen & Taphouse or Titcomb's Bookshop on Route 6A, a breathtaking road through the sand paradise of Cape Cod. Larger cities like Boston and Providence are both within an hour and a half from East Sandwich, and there's also a small regional airport in Hyannis, just 20 minutes away. Although you'll have the peace and quiet of a quaint coastal village, you certainly won't feel isolated.

The marquees outside the historic Highland Theater still glows in Highland Park, a St. Paul neighborhood established during the first half of the 20th century. Homes still date back to that era, and sell for a median price of $460,000, about $50,000 more than the national median at the time of writing. You won't find a cookie-cutter landscape here. There are Tudor-style homes with steeply-pitched rooftops, geometric mid-century houses, and bungalows on lush, tree-lined streets anchored by a golf course. Long-standing businesses like Cecil's Deli (which has been serving blintzes, Reubens, and matzo ball soup since 1949) and The Highland Grill are a walkable distance for many. It's a "little slice of small town" full of cozy vibes and friendly shops

Overall, Highland Park received an A-plus from Niche, which also listed it amongst the best neighborhoods in St. Paul to raise a family. It's also considered one of the "Friendliest Neighborhoods in the U.S." according to TimeOut. So, if it's within your budget and you're hoping to put down roots in the Twin Cities, there are few options more desirable than Highland Park.

Although Houston is often called a "rude" city (notorious for its aggressive drivers, in particular), Kingwood is one of America's friendliest neighborhoods, secretly hiding inside it. Here, you'll find people ready to lend a helping hand to newcomers, per the Houston Chronicle. But Kingwood isn't just known for its warmth — it's also what's called a "Livable Forest" due to the high percentage of trees. Homes are shaded by magnolia blossoms, towering pines, and oak trees, and a 75-mile trail known as the Greenbelt winds through it all. Using the trail system, you'll be able to access neighborhood public schools (which receive an impressively high rating from Niche), grocery stores, and the banks of Lake Houston not far away.

Homes were built primarily throughout the 1980s and '90s, and they range from grand single-family McMansions to multi-family townhomes in master-planned subdivisions. Prices vary, too, meaning there's something for everyone in Kingwood, whether you're a first-time homebuyer or a retiree. Although the heart of downtown Houston is about 30 miles away, a drive that sometimes takes the better part of an hour, shopping and dining opportunities are abundant closer to home. The Clubs of Kingwood even has an upscale onsite dining room, as well as a waterpark and four onsite golf courses.

Established well over a century ago, about 5 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, Mt. Lebanon, referred to as "Mt. Lebo" by the locals, has grown into one of the area's most coveted neighborhoods. The community's official website lists a range of events, like regular farmers markets, an annual artists fair, and local food drives. Streets are shadowed by Gothic churches with ornate stone carvings, and vintage-style diners serve hot breakfasts to long-time customers. Mt. Lebanon is also considered one of America's most walkable towns, and Beverly Road, in particular, is lined with gift shops, galleries, and cafes.

Niche gives the neighborhood an overall A-plus grade, highlighting public schools and housing as particular advantages. "Great place to raise a family, walkable streets, decent food, good schools, all the stuff I'm sure you've heard is pretty spot on," confirms one commenter on Reddit, adding that, "another nice part of Mt.Lebo is that you can get around pretty well thanks to numerous T stops." The average home value is a little over $400,000, per Zillow, which is relatively consistent with national averages. And you'll find a variety of historic styles, like storybook-esque Tudors and Colonial Revivals built during the mid-1930s and ready for a new generation of families.

Widely recognized as Alabama's "prettiest" town, Magnolia Springs is a shaded riverfront gem with magnolia trees, a cozy inn, and fresh Gulf seafood. It was acquired by a Spanish land grant, then largely developed after the Civil War by families from Vermont, Chicago, and St. Louis, in particular. The town's still popular today thanks to its proximity to more recognizable destinations like Mobile, 30 miles northwest, and the Gulf Coast, a popular vacation spot full of white-sand beaches to the south. Homes vary in price depending on renovation status, but most are surrounded by the lush greenery the town is known for. Near the neighborhood's famous bed and breakfast, for instance, you'll find streets lined with moss-covered trees. Some windows look out at boats docked in the Magnolia River, which also functions as a snail mail route, according to the town's website.

For upscale, Southern-style home cooking, head to Jesse's restaurant, which opened as a post office back in the 1920s, and now serves plates of scallops, seared redfish, and even dry-aged ribeye. Homes in Magnolia Springs vary in price depending on renovation status, property size, and proximity to the water. But most are surrounded by the lush greenery the town is known for.

Montana's largest city is a dynamic hub of urban amenities and natural beauty, and North Central Billings is in the heart of it all. The miles of rocky hills surrounding the neighborhood make it look like something out of an old Western, albeit one with suburban homes and two-car garages. Also nearby are the Beartooth Mountains and Pictograph Cave State Park, where you can see 2,000-year-old cave paintings left behind by the area's original inhabitants. All in all, it's an outdoorsman's paradise: You can hunt for turkey under the shade of towering ponderosa pines, fish in the Yellowstone River, and explore off-roading trails in the Acton Recreation Area. Just keep an eye out for bears.

Housing costs in North Central Billings are relatively consistent with the national median, although a few options are under $400,000. Given the access to outdoor adventures and the comparative stability of the housing market here, however, it's no surprise that homes here are snapped up quickly. The neighborhood is currently one of the hottest in the country. Plus, Billings' big-city amenities are less than 5 miles away. When you get tired of exploring the outdoors, you can make a quick trip to visit attractions like the Moss Mansion Museum, the Yellowstone Art Museum, or top-rated steakhouses like Jake's Downtown. All in all, North Central Billings is a blend of the Wild West, the big city, and suburbia — there's truly something for anyone and everyone.

In Woodmont, Connecticut, a Milford neighborhood about 10 miles from New Haven and Yale University, and 75 miles from New York City, active listings draw three-and-a-half times more views than the median U.S. home. In other words, it's popular — very popular. The median sale price here is around $500,000, slightly higher than the national median. You'll find shingled New England cottages — the kind of home where you might expect to spot an old sea captain gazing out the window — and multi-story properties on the aptly-named Beach Avenue with sweeping views of the ocean. The neighborhood's public beaches are a walk away for most people in the neighborhood, and they're far quieter than beaches in places like Old Saybrook.

Unlike many growing American suburbs, Woodmont is a neighborhood that prides itself on small businesses. You'll likely run into familiar faces when you pick up groceries at Adam's Hometown Market or while buying new plants for your vegetable garden at Robert Treat Farm. Milford Public Schools also has a good reputation, earning an overall A-minus grade from Niche, and it doesn't take long to get to jobs in neighboring cities. In the words of Robin Jossen, a long-time Connecticut Realtor, living in Woodmont means "coastal sophistication with a casual twist," via Homes.com.

Whether you're looking for nightlife, top-rated food, or immersive theater, New York City has lots to offer. Manhattan, in particular, is known for its high housing costs, and the Upper West Side is no exception. A single-family home here can cost you up to $30 million, especially properties with views overlooking the Hudson River or Central Park, where the median sale price is a little under $7 million. Suffice it to say, it's by far the most expensive neighborhood on our list.

As is the case with Kingwood in Houston, the Upper West Side is known as one of America's friendliest neighborhoods, hiding in one of its rudest cities. This just goes to show that friendly, strong neighborhoods can literally pop up anywhere. You'll live minutes away from cultural attractions like Lincoln Center and the Natural History Museum as well. Although the neighborhood is primarily residential, there are lots and lots of food options, like Gray's Papaya, a legendary New York City hot dog stand that Anthony Bourdain adored.

There are plenty of top-rated private and charter schools in this neighborhood, making it one of the best places in Manhattan to raise a family, per TimeOut. Locals also rank it among the top places to live in New York, in general. Overall, the Upper West might be in the heart of the city, but it's truly one of the Big Apple's quietest neighborhoods, a place where you can escape from the hustle and bustle in local parks or on shaded, brownstone-lined streets.

In order to put together the most comprehensive list, we compared real estate listings using websites like Zillow, Trulia, and Redfin, and looked to interviews with local realtors.Affordability was also an important consideration when were assessing a neighborhood's desirability. Among the communities listed above, we've noted those with housing prices exceeding the national median — i.e., Beverly Crest and the Upper West Side — as well as neighborhoods where comparative affordability is a primary attraction, such as Central Norwich, Connecticut.

School options, especially public school options, and proximity to a major job market — both of which determine whether a neighborhood is a short-term option or a long-term home base for a family — were also a major factor. For this, we looked to websites like Niche and larger conglomerates like Data USA.

Finally, online forums like Reddit, as well as YouTube vlogs, proved to be a valuable resource for first-person accounts. We watched downtown walk-throughs outlining local shopping and dining scenes, and studied pro-con lists posted to sites like Nextdoor. If you hoped to see your neighborhood on the list and didn't look to see if we might have covered it elsewhere, take a look at America's Best Little Italy Neighborhoods or the most exciting small cities across America for recent graduates to move.