For almost a century, Boca Raton has been synonymous with the Good Life -- and that reputation has only been enhanced in the past decade.

Stunning waterfront estates, challenging golf courses, upscale shopping, and innovative restaurants have combined with an atmosphere of cultivated leisure to attract a growing number of younger, alluent buyers in search of the perfect place to live.

While many premier properties are found in exclusive private communities on the mainland, much of the most expensive real estate is located on the barrier island, where Boca shares a long strand of Atlantic Ocean beach with six seaside communities.

Across the Intracoastal Waterway on the mainland, Boca Raton is a mecca for shoppers and diners. Mizner Park, with its beautiful landscaping, is the place to see and be seen, with 45 specialty shops and seven good restaurants.

Boca's Town Center Mall has seven huge department stores, including Nordstrom as well as Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as dozens of high-end specialty shops.

Only minutes away is the Boca Raton Airport, base of operations for more private jets than any similar facility elsewhere in the country.

Palm Beach International Airport just off Interstate 95 a half-hour to the north and Fort Lauderdale International Airport just off Interstate 95 a half-hour to the south are the closest options for those seeking commercial flights to virtually any city in the United States.

Boca Raton

With five miles of spectacular ocean frontage, and far more miles of premier frontage along both sides of the Intracoastal Waterway, Boca Raton has an abundance of luxury waterfront homes (and yachts).

The Boca Raton Resort & Club is Boca Raton's signature site with its pink tower rising 27 stories above the Intracoastal Waterway. The nearby barrier-island properties, both luxury condos and grand estates, many of which feature ocean or Intracoastal views, tend to be very up-market.

On the mainland, luxury country-club living can be found in a variety of private communities in Boca and West Boca.

Highland Beach

The quiet Town of Highland Beach, a small enclave between Boca Raton and Delray Bach, boasts that its "Main Street" is a beautiful tree-lined stretch of state road A1A. But Main Street, in this case, does not mean shops and restaurants. Except for a recently remodeled Holiday Inn directly on the beach, the town is strictly residential. While many residents of Highland Beach still live in the condos, recent years have seen a boom in construction of grand mansions on both the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Delray Beach

North of Highland Beach, Delray Beach has a 2-mile stretch of the barrier island that also boasts its share of luxury estates. Across the Intracoastal Waterway, Delray's "downtown" area along Atlantic Avenue is known for casual-to-chic restaurants, quaint shops, and art galleries. History plays an increasingly big role in the identity of Delray Beach. The city has designated several neighborhoods as historic districts; and residents are encouraged to preserve old homes as a link to Delray's past.

Gulf Stream

This wealthy oceanfront hamlet's most precious possessions are 400 Australian pines that form a shady canopy over A1A, which separates the premier estates on the Intracoastal Waterway from the oceanfront mansions. Gulf Stream is out to preserve its unique character with some of the most restrictive zoning regulations in the county, governing window sizes, mail boxes, and even lawn ornaments.

Ocean Ridge

Immediately to the north of Gulf Stream is the town of Ocean Ridge, a three-mile-long stretch of mansions, luxury condominium complexes and older homes. The town is views itself as low-key, low-density and low profile -- but like its neighbors to the south, Ocean Ridge boasts fabulous views both of the ocean and sunsets across the Intracoastal Waterway.

Manalapan

Only a few hundred families have the good fortune of living in the tiny enclave of Manalapan, which boasts some colossal mansions on both the ocean and the intercoastal waterway. At the northernmost end of Manalapan on seven beachfront acres is the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach Hotel (a luxurious resort even though it is not, as its name would lead you to believe, in the town of Palm Beach).

Hillsboro Beach

Immediately across the Hillsboro Intet from Boca Raton, in Broward County, is the town of Hillsboro Beach. Situated on a narrow peninsula that runs 3.2 miles south to Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro Beach -- bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway -- is about 900 feet wide at its widest. The stretch of A1A that runs through Hillsboro Beach is called the the Hillsboro Mile (even though it is longer than that) and is lined by some of the most luxurious homes along South Florida's 'Gold Coast.'