This Is The Wealthiest Small Town In Maryland

MARYLAND — Wealth can commonly be found in some of the nation's biggest cities, but what about in the small towns?

A new GoBankingRates study that set out to find pockets of wealth in the nation’s quieter communities found that the richest small town in Maryland is Travilah. There, the median annual income is $238,194. That's compared to a statewide median income of $98,678 in 2023.

Travilah is located in Montgomery County along the north side of the Potomac River. It had a population of 11,985 as of the 2020 census and was founded in the late 1800s. The community had its own post office, general store, school, town hall, church and a handful of homes. The area was popular with farmers because it was close to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and at least two mills. The town was named after the community's first postmaster in 1883, Travilah Clagett.

In 2019, Bloomberg News listed Potomac and Travilah among the top 50 wealthiest places in America. Travilah was ranked 24th and was 25th the previous year. A 2018 article in USA Today said Travilah "is the wealthiest town in the wealthiest state" and "only town in Maryland where over half of all homes are worth over $1 million."

While most online real estate databases do not currently have any properties listed in Travliah, nearby Potomac has numerous houses for sale including a five bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom estate comprised of 25,119 square feet on a 13.5-acre lot listed at $29.9 million. It was built along the river and has pristine views from its expansive back deck running half the length of the home.

For the study, GoBankingRates analyzed income data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. “Small town” was defined as having between 500 and 15,000 households. Data is current as of May 16, 2023. Alaska wasn’t included because it doesn’t have enough data.

The top five wealthiest small towns in the nation are:

• Orinda, California (median income $248, 984)
• Noroton, Connecticut (median income $248,125)
• Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania (median income $247,930)
• University Park, Texas ($247,045)
• Flower Hill, New York ($246,533)

The least affluent of these wealthy small towns are:

• Shelburne, Vermont (median income $96,976)
• Cassville, West Virginia (median income $105,440)
• Inniswold, Louisiana (median income $106,759)
• Hickman, Nebraska (median income $107,604)
• Helena Valley Northeast, Montana (median income $115,833)

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