KC suburb is the third most affluent in U.S.

Overland Park may be one of the best places to live. But it has nothing on Mission Hills when it comes to lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Forbes Magazine this week ranked the northeast Johnson County suburb — population 3,500 — as the country's third-most-affluent neighborhood.

With a median income of $243,000, Mission Hills ranked behind Westlake, Texas, outside of Fort Worth, and the Village of Kenilworth, Ill., on the shores of Lake Michigan just north of Chicago.

Courtney Christensen, city administrator for Mission Hills, said the ranking pointed to her community's ability to withstand tough economic times.

"It's really nice to know the bad economy hasn't greatly affected our community," she said.

Christensen said the study builds on previous Forbes' rankings that have listed Mission Hills is one of the five wealthiest communities in the country on a per capita basis.

Forbes noted that Westlake — ranked No. 1 — is home to the Jonas Brothers and baseball star Josh Hamilton. BNSF Railway chief executive Matt Rose also reportedly lives in Westlake. Its population is 703.

Forbes noted that Mission Hills, which covers about 2.1 square miles, was the home of Kansas City's most prominent families, including former Royals slugger George Brett.

The average home value in Mission Hills is $995,082.

There are 1,317 houses in Mission Hills. Almost a third — 415 — were valued at more at than $1 million. The average home worth more than $1 million was valued at $1.7 million, according to the Johnson County appraiser.

To determine America's most affluent neighborhoods, Forbes studied the average median household income estimates from 2005 to 2009 provided in the U.S. Census' American Community Survey.

None of the most affluent communities and places had populations greater than 64,999.

This story was originally published January 22, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "KC suburb is the third most affluent in U.S. ."