It's no secret that Houston's moneyed are spread far beyond the 610 Loop. But according to Money Magazine, The Woodlands is more than just an agrestic outgrowth of Houston. It's one of the top 20 top-earning towns on the magazine's annual Best Places list.

Though The Woodlands was not among the main top 100 best places, Money also measured every town and city with a population over 50,000 (65 of them in Texas) and The Woodlands was deemed 11th most well-off in the nation, with a median annual family income of $124,939 and an average home price of $214,593. The No. 1 earning town was Bethesda, Md., with tony Greenwich, Conn. is second place. The only other Texas city on the list is Dallas suburb Flower Mound at No. 14.

On the "Best Places" list the Houston area had a representative as well, with Missouri City coming in at No. 21, noted for its lower home prices and proximity to Houston and Sugar Land jobs and entertainment. Three Dallas-area suburbs — McKinney, Allen and Rowlett — are also in the top 25.

Spring came in at No. 3 in the list of towns with most affordable homes (with an average price of $112,000), behind San Antonio in third place. Fort Bend County was also singled out as the No. 5 place with the fastest job growth.