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Forbes.com: Most Exclusive Gated Communities

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Conyers Farm, Gr... When Conyers Farm was developed as an exclusive residential enclave of luxury homes in the early 1980s on some 1,500 rural acres, it was considered a rarity so close to an East Coast urban center. About one hour from New York City, the community, mostly in Greenwich and some in N.Y., boasts pristine woods, private roads, a large private lake, leafy trails, and riding paths, said Helene Barre, a realtor with Sotheby’s International Realty in Greenwich. “Polo is held here every June, July and September on its exclusive polo field.”

Lots are a minimum of 10 acres, but many are 15 to 20 acres. The land that was once a working farm, with livestock, apple and pear orchards, owned by Edmund C. Converse, one of the founders of U.S. Steel and president of the Bankers Trust Company. Around the turn of the century, the farm supplied the nearby residents with milk, butter and eggs.

In addition to the compound's unique beauty, it offers exceptional privacy and security, said Barre. The lush vegetation provides a natural screen. “You don’t see other houses, and most have their own private gates,” she said. Prices “are usually in the double digits” she said, but range from about $6.5 million to $19 million and up.

(Credit: Sotheby's International Realty)

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Conyers Farm, Gr... Front gate to a property in Conyers Farm, a gated community in Greenwich.

(Credit: Sotheby's International Realty)

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Royal Palm Yacht... This exclusive 450 acre country club community in South Florida, has 700 estates, many on deep-water and golf course lots. “Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club is internationally acclaimed as one of the most exclusive yachting communities in the country” said Joseph Liguori, a broker and owner of Premier Estate Properties. Notable features include a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and full-service marina; separate golf and yacht facilities, each with fine dining, and a state of the art fitness center, swimming pool, and tennis and croquet courts.

Owners of waterfront estates can dock their yachts directly behind their property. “Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club’s desired location is uniquely situated adjacent to the world-class Boca Raton Resort and Club as well as the Boca Raton Inlet which provides direct ocean access,” said Liguori. “This established community, which dates to 1959, has been the address for some of the world’s most wealthy and prominent families” he said. Some of the larger estates are more than 20,000 square feet, and buyers have combined two, three and even five lots. Prices range from $800,000 to $20 million or more. Liguori said his company has been involved in some of the community’s highest sales, which include a $12.9 million deep-water estate, a $10.1 million Intracoastal estate and a recent sale of a $9 million golf course estate.

(Credit: Courtesy of Premier Estate Properties)

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Royal Palm Yacht... Aerial view of 378 East Alexander Palm Road, Boca Raton, Florida.

(Credit: Courtesy of Premier Estate Properties)

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Tuxedo Park, Tux... This exclusive 2,600-acre gated enclave 40 miles and some 45 minutes from mid-town Manhattan, nestled in the Ramapo Mountains, boasts 100 year-old trees, three pristine lakes, an 18-hole golf course, and a significant spectrum of European-style architecture. “Most homes in gated communities look much the same” said Cindy Booth, owner of Towne & Country Properties Sotheby's International Realty. “But in Tuxedo Park, no two properties are even remotely similar.” English Tudor, Dutch Colonial, French Chateau style, and Gothic Revival are just a few of the styles represented, she said, and many of these Gilded Age mansions were designed by well-known architects of the day, including Bruce Price, Carrere & Hastings, and McKim, Mead & White. “A number of carriage houses and former stables have been converted into charming smaller residences and weekend retreats," Booth said.

One of the oldest gated communities in the country, founded in the mid 1880s, Tuxedo Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “Wall Street Titans, Robber Barons and scions of blue-blooded colonial families made this place synonymous with upper-class living in the first three decades of the 20th century,” according to “Tuxedo Park: The Historic Houses.” The tuxedo jacket was first introduced to America in Tuxedo Park and Emily Post drew inspiration for her book Etiquette from manners she observed while living there, the book noted. Fun old-fashioned activities like boating, indoor and outdoor tennis, and fishing remain popular, Booth said. The lake is stocked with bass and trout, “and you can still ice skate on the ponds in the winter.”

(Credit: James Bleecker)

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Tuxedo Park, Tux... The front gate at Tuxedo Park.

(Credit: Susan Broome Rost)

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Hillandale at Ge... Hillandale is a luxury gated community set in the NW section of Washington on 42 acres in a naturally wooded area, bordered by parkland on two sides but only a short walk away from Georgetown. The community was developed in the late 1980s on land that was previously the country estate of oil heiress Anne Archbold, originally built in the early 20th century. Hillandale features 268 town houses, semi-detached houses and single-family homes, and its amenities include a swimming pool, tennis courts, clubhouse, a “tot lot” playground area, and security. Prices start at $1.3 million for four bedroom town houses. Currently, six properties on the market are being offered at $1.3 million to $2.3 million, Washburn said.

(Credit: MRIS)

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Hillandale at Ge... Hillandale's community pool.

(Credit: Riley Jamison)

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Pomander Walk, M... Pomander Walk, hidden on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is a tiny, private pedestrian-only street lined with picturesque two-story Tudor-style town houses nestled behind intimate gardens, lush with rose bushes and climbing ivy. Built in 1921 by architectural firm King & Campbell as a replica of a street in the Chiswick district in London, the walk runs from 94th to 95th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue.

“You pass through the gates and there is just this lovely sense of tranquility,” said Natalie Weiss, vice president of Nest Seekers International, who grew up on the walk. “It was pretty great,” she said, noting “the sense of community, unique charm and history” remain the attraction for current and prospective residents. About half of the units in the complex, now a co-op, are on the walk. It received landmark status in 1982. Originally there were 63 units, but six two-family town houses have been converted into single homes that sell in the $1.6 to $1.8 million range, Weiss said, and typical 700 square foot two bedroom apartments currently sell for about $750,000.

(Credit: Jill Nelson)

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Pomander Walk, M... A vine crawls up the side of a Pomander Walk home.

(Credit: Jill Nelson)

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More from Forbes Click here to see the rest of America’s Most Exclusive Gated Communities.

(Credit: Forbes.com)