Chevy Chase, MD, United States

Wealthy and white is the name of the game in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The town's origins as a racially restrictive enclave are well-documented, with the Chevy Chase Land Company explicitly barring non-white residents through prohibitive housing costs. Today, that legacy lives on in a community dominated by the well-heeled, including Supreme Court justices and media personalities. While the area's $40 million 4-H conference center may soon be replaced by a senior living development, bureaucracy remains a persistent headache, with the local government heavily invested in maintaining the town's exclusive character. For those seeking a prestigious, if homogeneous, address close to the nation's capital, Chevy Chase may fit the bill, but for everyone else, the barriers to entry are simply too high.