- Population: 1,085
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A

This small village bordering New York City's Queens borough has a sparse suburban feel, and nearly all residents own their own homes. Bellerose also has an LIRR commuter train station that takes passengers into Jamaica, Queens.

- Population: 1,332
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A

Pelham, a quaint New England town along the Quabbin Reservoir in Western Massachusetts, has a rural feel thanks to the many woods and streams that run through the area. Steeped in history, the town was incorporated in 1743, and its meeting house (town hall) is the oldest continually operating town hall in the country. The town maintains a public elementary school, but middle and high school students attend school in neighboring Amherst.

- Population: 2,858
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Located just west of Dulles International Airport, Arcola is a small suburban township with a quiet feel. Nearly 4 in 10 residents were born outside of the U.S., and nearly 7 in 10 households speak a language other than English at home. Education is highly valued here—Arcola's public schools rank #1 in the state.

- Population: 2,478
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Piney Mountain offers a mix of suburban and rural living, roughly 11 miles north of Charlottesville. Part of Albemarle County, the township also lies within the Monticello American Viticultural Area and is near many wineries.

- Population: 2,817
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

A village within the town of North Hempstead, Lake Success is located on Long Island's North Shore. Residents take play seriously—the village maintains a large park with a swimming pool, 11 clay and all-weather tennis courts, and other sports fields and courts. Golf aficionados can enjoy the village's par-70 golf course along Lake Success.

- Population: 2,096
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

An unincorporated suburb of Washington D.C., along the Potomac River, Cabin John is an escape from the city with its woodsy, sparse feel. While the county manages most of the town's services, the Cabin John Citizens Association—a volunteer group—puts together a full slate of annual activities and service opportunities, including an annual Chicken and Crab Feast and a Neighbor 2 Neighbor program, to promote a sense of community and civic pride.

- Population: 2,955
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Roslyn is a historic village on Hempstead Harbor on what's known as Long Island's Gold Coast, named for the impressive estates built there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The country home of the 19th-century poet William Cullen Bryant, Cedarmere, is nearby in Roslyn Harbor.

- Population: 2,072
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A

Upper Nyack is located along the "Tappan Zee" area of the Hudson River, where the river naturally gets up to three miles wide. Ranked as one of the #1 places to live in Rockland County, the village has a rural feel. In 2018, the village purchased one of Upper Nyack's six original farms and created River Hook: The Hester Haring Cason Preserve, a 12-acre sanctuary.

- Population: 2,248
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Known for its stately Victorian houses and charming historic district, Kensington, located four miles north of Washington D.C., offers picturesque living and easy commuting. The town is just two miles from the Capital Beltway, and its 1891 commuter rail station is the second-oldest active train station in the country. When they're not enjoying the wood carvings and murals along the town's art walk, residents can also bike to Washington D.C. via the Rock Creek Trail.

- Population: 2,683
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Plainsboro Center, an unincorporated part of Plainsboro Township in central New Jersey, has both an urban and suburban feel to it. Mill Pond Park offers opportunities for paddling, while Plainsboro Park has facilities for tennis, volleyball, softball, bocce, basketball, and cricket.

- Population: 3,496
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Muttontown earned its name from the sheep that once grazed there. Today, the rolling hills of this Long Island rural village provide a stately backdrop for the estates that dot its land. Muttontown Preserve, a 550-acre nature preserve created from three former estates, is one of the village's crown jewels.

- Population: 1,130
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Part of the Great Neck area of Long Island, Russell Gardens is a planned community that was developed in the 1920s and incorporated as a village in 1931. Laid out as an English Village development, elegant Tudor-style homes fill the tree-lined streets. Residents have access to tennis courts and a swimming pool.

- Population: 3,040
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Chappaqua became the post-White House residence of Bill and Hillary Clinton, and it has a rural, woodsy feel to it. A hamlet in the town of New Castle, Chappaqua is a commuter community about 35 miles north of Manhattan, where summer concerts are held in the downtown gazebo. Horace Greeley, the founder of the New York Tribune, was another prominent resident in the 19th century.

- Population: 4,786
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

A Long Island enclave, Searingtown boasts quiet living just 15 miles from New York's LaGuardia Airport. The vast majority of residents own their homes, with values typically above $500,000. Searingtown Pond Park is a quiet refuge in the center of the town.

- Population: 2,924
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A

A rural exurb of Baltimore and Washington D.C., Monrovia is a quiet, unincorporated town. Ranked as the best place to buy a house in Maryland, 8 in 10 homes here have four or more bedrooms.

- Population: 3,254
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: B+

A hamlet in Westchester County, New York, Hartsdale, offers an easy commute to New York City. With only 3 square miles, Hartsdale has a few quirky sections of town. One is called Poet's Corner, with streets named for poets. And another is College Corners, where the streets have names like Harvard and Yale. During the American Revolution, the Odell House served as the headquarters for the French Gen. Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau.

- Population: 4,018
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A-

Cayuga Heights adjoins Cornell University's campus in Ithaca. Incorporated in 1915, the village has always had a close relationship with the university. Back then, two developers bought almost 1,000 acres of farmland and laid out lots for homes in the new community. Deed and other restrictions were meant to preserve views of the lake and the valley and maintain the village's open feel.

- Population: 1,245
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Great Neck Gardens is a New York City suburb on the Great Neck peninsula of Long Island. Near where F. Scott Fitzgerald set "The Great Gatsby," newspaper listings in the early 20th century featured pricy real estate sales from Great Neck Gardens. Today, the 13-acre Allenwood Park—with a pond, ball fields, tennis courts, and a gazebo—is a favorite among locals.

- Population: 4,535
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Mountain Lakes is a planned residential park more than a century old. The 3-square-mile borough draws on its natural surroundings, including acres of woodland. Staying true to its namesake, nine lakes were created from springs and wetlands in town.

- Population: 2,627
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

East Williston on Long Island is a historic village that retains its many traditions, among them an annual Egg Hunt, the volunteer Fire Department's Harvest Festival, and the Village Tree Lighting Ceremony in December. The East Williston Historic District encompasses some of the village's earliest buildings and houses.

- Population: 3,321
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Haworth was featured in the New York Times in 1908 under the headline "Growth of New Jersey's 'Concrete Town'" because of the concrete homes that were being constructed there. Among its notable residents in the 1930s was a dog named Heather Reveller, who had "the most sensational show record of any Scottish Terrier ever exhibited in America." The dog's owner, Willard H. Wright, wrote mysteries under the name S.S. Van Dine. Haworth, a 2.26-square-mile borough in Bergen County, is a short drive from New York City.

- Population: 4,883
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

A borough in Bergen County, Harrington Park borders Oradell Reservoir. While it's close to New York City, the borough has a sparse suburban feel. Harrington Park's eight parks contribute to that relaxing feeling and are highly accessible—93% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of one of them.

- Population: 1,842
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Princeton Junction is a neighborhood in West Windsor Township and was originally a farming community dating back to the Revolutionary War. It has a small-town feel within commuting distance of Philadelphia and New York. Princeton—with its university, historic homes, and international community—is a short drive away.

- Population: 1,462
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Situated on Long Island's North Shore, this New York suburb has highly rated public schools. Kensington is one of nine villages on the Great Neck peninsula and has a broad mix of residents from many different cultures. Large colonials and Tudors are common house styles here.

- Population: 4,230
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Ho-Ho-Kus was once known for its racetrack, built in the late 1860s, which operated for 70 years. The track was used for horse racing, air shows, car racing, and even Victory Gardens during World War II. Ho-Ho-Kus was also the headquarters for a trolley that ran through towns in New Jersey and New York, beginning in the early 1900s.