Forbes.com has ranked the most expensive gated communities in the United States. Not surprisingly, several SoCal "private neighborhoods" make the list. Four of the top ten are in the metro area, and a fifth in Pebble Beach is pretty close, too. As ranked by Forbes.com, the top two most expensive gated communities are in Florida, and the California entrants are:
· 3. Beverly Park, Los Angeles. Prices between $12 to $32 million. Residents include Eddie Murphy and Sumner Redstone.
· 4. Brentwood Country Estates, Los Angeles. Prices between $12 to $30 million. Residents include Gov. Schwarzenegger.
· 8. Three Arch Bay, Laguna Beach. Highest current price, $22.9 million. Features a private beach.
· 10. Pelican Crest, Newport Coast. Highest current price, $17.9 million. Features 150 half-acre lots on a hill looking over the Pacific.
"The affluent always start their shopping in gated communities," says John McMonigle, a broker for Coldwell Banker International Previews in Newport Beach, Calif. "Security is more and more of a concern, especially for people moving from L.A. to Orange County. They almost always insist on gated communities. I don't think they realize what a safe little bubble it is." If we lived in The O.C. we'd be all gated up too. Those Laguna Beach kids are a menace.
(image via PelicanCrest.com)
· Most Expensive Gated Communities 2005 [Forbes.com]