In a Realty Times Exclusive, Worth magazine has shared advance notice to our online readers of the $250 Richest Towns" in America. Where does your town rate?

Not surprisingly, six of the nation's toniest top ten communities are in California, where homes have skyrocketed from their early nineties slump. Three are in Colorado, and the number one town is Jupiter Isalnd, Florida with a staggering median home price of $1,900,000, more than double its 1996-97 pricing.

California appears most frequently on the list with 76 towns, followed by New York with 46, New Jersey with 26, Massachusetts with 18, and Illinois with 17.

Sixteen newcomers are also predominently from the east coast, including New Castle, New Hampshire (#125) and Biltmore Forest, North Carolina (#190.), home to the nation's largest private home, built by George Washington Vanderbilt in 1914.

Writer Lan Nguyen, worked on the story for five months, using a network of 80 real estate agents across the country to gather the data for this year's list. Putting the list into perspective, Nguyen points out, "In many of the nation's most affluent communities, $1 million doesn't begin to buy the best."

The median home price of Worth's 250 Richest Towns this year is $555,841.

The Top Ten Most Affluent Towns and Their Median Home Prices

1. Jupiter Island, FL - $1,900,000
2. Aspen, CO - $1,750,000
3. Atherton, CA - $1,697,500
4. Belvedere, CA - $1,462,500
5. Rolling Hills, CA - $1,425,000
6. Hillsborough, CA - $1,380,000
7. Los Altos Hills, CA - $1,331,000
8. Mountain Village, CA - $1,325,000
9. Rancho Santa Fe, CA - $1,325,000
10. Snowmass Village, CO - $1,300,000

Worth magazine is an upscale monthly publication with a circulation of over half a million readers concentrating on business, investments, and ways to enjoy wealth.