Gorgeous Midwest enclave tops list for America's safest and richest suburbs

A leafy village located on the outskirts of Chicago is the top suburb in the nation, according to a new ranking that prioritized affluence.

The town of Western Springs beat out 29 others to claim the top spot in GOBankingRates' list, which included a runner-up also in the Chicago area.

The southwestern suburb has a population of 13,557 people and an average household median income of $276,402 - well above the national average.

Similarly, the average single-family home value was $763,060 - almost the double the US average home price of $495,100, according to the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development.

It can be found hidden between Hinsdale and La Grange, 15 miles from its city's center.

Billed as 'The 30 Safest and Richest US Cities To Live in 2024', the list excluded 'budget-friendliness' as a factor to be weighed.

It instead looked at small cities deemed the safest and richest, yielding several suburbs in cities like San Francisco and Boston's stead.  

To compile it, the website looked at a variety of data points, such as the average household income, total population, number of households, cost of living, and rate of crime in each community being considered.

No. 1 surfaced as Western Springs,  an affluent suburb named for its now dried up mineral deposits on the southwest side of town. 

Filled with trees and picturesque houses, the area on which the town sits was once comprised chifly of prairies and swamps, when a large number of early residents were Quakers

Its seminal spring dried up in 1890 a few decades after it was founded, forcing the village to hire engineers to build a village waterworks system - yielding its now famous water tower originally constructed in 1893.

Built with Naperville stone, it stands 112 feet high and became a museum in 1970. It was entered the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. 

A variety of other iconic additions have been made over the years as well, including a fire department, electric plant, a park district, and a library (1926). 

The village has expanded several times with annexes in 192, 1955, 1973, and 2005, putting its total area at 2.79 square miles, according to the US census.

If living near a hub without the crime that comes with a more urban setting, the website deemed the little-known community your best bet.   

The No. 2 spot, meanwhile, belonged to Kenilworth, located on North Shore of lakeside Chicago. 

The average household median income there is a lower $437,822, which is still well above the national real median household income of $75,000.

There, the average single-family home will run you $1,768,606 - a hefty price for most homebuyers.

The number, moreover, is more than double that of the town a few miles away that ranked number one, but factors like safety and its location by Lake Michigan helped it secure its spot.

The cost of living in the town was more similar to that of Winnetka, a northern suburb next door to Kenilworth that also made the list at No. 5.

In that Chicago suburb, the average household median income is $458,988, with an average single-family home value of $1,623,361. 

The community is home to the world -famous Home Alone house, which recently sold for more than $5 million.

One other Midwestern town ranked on the list - high up as well - with Ohio's Ottawa Hills coming in at No. 6.

Two Boston suburbs rounded out the top five - Lexington and Winchester.

Ridgewood, New Jersey, came in seventh - due to its proximity to New York City - while another Boston enclave in Wellesley ranked eighth.

Westfield, New Jersey, near New York, took ninth, and the tiny town of Ross just north of San Francisco seized no. 10. 

Towns from California and Massachusetts, moreover, represented seven of these 30 cities, with notable hives like Cupertino making appearances. 

Six of the cities were in New Jersey, all in the northern part of the state near New York,

Notably, none of the cities had a median household income under $251,210, which itself is nearly four times the national average.

Perhaps most surprising though was that four of the towns - including three in the top five - were satellites of Chicago.

The Chicago metropolitan area represents about 3 percent of the entire US population, and is home to 31 Fortune 500 company's headquarters. 

Companies like McDonald's, United Air Lines, and Blue Cross Blue Shield have moved there in recent years, helping the metro emerge as the top for corporate relocations. 

The area is also home to a variety of universities, like the University of Chicago and Northeastern University, both of which regularly rank amongst the best schools in the US. 

The Chicago Transit Authority also connects several of these suburbs to the city night and day, every day of the year.

The current rate of crime in Chicago, meanwhile, has contributed to the popularity of its comparatively more placid suburbs.