“When I take the kids out here, it just feels right,” says PR firm owner Melissa Skoog Dunagan, a Gold Coast resident who grew up in Hinsdale. “The library is exceptional, streets are really bucolic, and there are good parks.” Those factors have helped push house prices almost back to 2006’s lofty levels. “Outlying areas on the west and northeast sides of town have more affordable housing options,” Dunagan notes.

What’s more, the village’s public schools are renowned—particularly the elementary school Lane and Hinsdale Central High—and the pristine pedestrian-friendly downtown has immense historic charm. The culinary scene now approaches cosmopolitan status: Hinsdale’s Peter Burdi and acclaimed restaurateur Jerry Kleiner have partnered on the upscale-Italian Il Poggiolo, and famed chef Paul Virant (Vie) is joining Burdi on a yet-to-be-named bistro.