Vinings, Georgia

Popular Vinings lies just across the Chattahoochee from Atlanta, and it's a great place to live for a lot of reasons. But along with the high marks it receives for amenities, education, local services, low crime rate, low taxes, and high median incomes, housing in this little village of under 10,000 people is also "up there" in price. Actually, this affluent bedroom community is described as one of the wealthiest communities in the nation.

Yes, it's pretty -- you'll likely stroll through your neighborhood occasionally with your dog. Or you can bring the dog to the local dog park for its exercise. You might walk from quaint shops to a favorite restaurant, but if you really want to go places, you'll drive one of your cars. In Vinings, there is a high percentage of three, four and five-car households. It's just a short trip to downtown Atlanta. If you really don't want to drive, there's always Uber!

The impressive homes and large yards of this "small town" beckon professionals and executives who want to escape from the stresses and pressures of the urban environment. It's in Atlanta's backyard but it's nothing like the city. It's quiet here, and although residents are as apt to use an Atlanta address as they are to say they live in Vinings, it's truly a small, chic town with a Southern soul. Vinings Jubilee, in the heart of the historic district, is the center of life, with boutiques and national retailers, restaurants, annual festivals and even some nearby apartments.

The name came from a man who worked to lay railroad track for Vinings Bridge, but it was first known as Crossroads, and later as Paces, after Hardy Pace who operated the ferry across the Chattahoochee. It was first recognized as a unique community in 1904, but Vinings to this day remains an unincorporated "census-designated place" with an area of 3.3 miles.