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Greenwich and Beverly Hills Street Signs Stock Adobe/Almay

“The East Coast and West Coast separation is exactly the weapon our enemies need to destroy our empire,” warned Dr. Dre. Sure, he was probably talking about hip-hop rivalry, but he could just as easily be speaking to the battle between the movie-star glamour of Beverly Hills and the old-money, New England stoicism of Greenwich, Conn. We’re not taking sides, but here’s what to expect when you get past the guarded gates.

90210

06830

FOUNDING WOMEN

In 1838, the governor of then Mexican-controlled California deeds the land to Maria Rita Valdez Villa, a widow of a Spanish soldier. She builds an adobe ranch house on what is now Sunset Boulevard. Beverly Villas might have been a better name, then?

FOUNDING WOMEN

In 1640, Puritan Elizabeth Fones and her husband purchase land in Connecticut that eventually becomes the town of Greenwich. Captain Daniel Patrick also chipped in for the buy.

SCANDALOUS ORIGIN SECRET

Surprisingly unjuicy: The area was a working ranch, farming the humble lima bean long before scandal and designer boutiques moved in (and humility mostly moved out).

SCANDALOUS ORIGIN SECRET

Bigamy. After her second husband went insane, founder Fones married her third husband without an official divorce. She was spared being charged with adultery—a hanging offense—because her former brother-in-law John Winthrop Jr. was well connected (he would later become governor). This is the perfect script… Someone get a Beverly Hills agent on the line.

MOST EXPENSIVE HOME CURRENTLY FOR SALE

$87M An eight-bedroom estate with 360-degree views of Los Angeles. Talking points: Venetian stained- glass windows, a massage room, an 18th-century English saloon and a two-story library.

1420 Devies Drive

1420 Devies Drive.  Redfin

MOST EXPENSIVE HOME CURRENTLY FOR SALE

$40M A lakefront six-bedroom French Normandy home sitting on 27 acres. Talking points: an indoor sky-lit swimming pool, a tennis court and its own dock house.

18 Close Road

18 Close Road.  Realtor.com

MEDIAN HOME PRICE

$4,125,000 (6th most expensive in the US). That same price will get you 767 tons of lima beans at the local Whole Foods.

MEDIAN HOME PRICE

$2,050,000 (57th in the country). That should leave enough funds left over to bribe a connected family member when needed.

MOST POPULAR CAR

Mercedes-Benz

MOST POPULAR CAR

Jeep Grand Cherokee (Though the town has seven times more Porsches per capita than the rest of the nation.)

STARRING ROLES

Beverly Hills Cop. Beverly Hills Ninja. The Beverly Hillbillies. Beverly Hills, 90210. Beverly Hills Cop II and III. Spot the theme?

Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop

AA Film Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

STARRING ROLES

Greenwich could use a good Beverly Hills agent. Even the fictional Connecticut town of Stepford gets more airtime.

Nicole Kidman in Stepford Wives

AA Film Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

THE DEAL WITH HEDGES AND PROPERTY WALLS

Supposed to be no higher than three feet at the front property line and eight feet in back. The definition of three feet seems to vary among most homeowners.

THE DEAL WITH HEDGES AND PROPERTY WALLS

Approval needed for anything above six feet, six inches.

INSTAGRAM SOCIAL POWER

#beverlyhills 6.5M photos. Lots of cars and dogs.

Ferrari

Unsplash

INSTAGRAM SOCIAL POWER

#greenwich 1.7M photos. Lots of food and dogs.

Dog

Unsplash

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