Bravo"Potomac? How do you pronounce it?"
That was the reaction of one of our Bravo-obsessed friends when the network announced on Wednesday that it's launching two new Real Housewives series: The Real Housewives of Potomac, set to debut in January, and The Real Housewives of Dallas, set to premiere later in 2016. Sure, Dallas seems like an obvious choice and almost makes you wonder what took so long for a Texas town to join the franchise. But Potomac? Not the first town (or the 10th) that comes to mind when you try to think of towns ripe for the drama of The Real Housewives.
However, as Bravo boasts, Potomac, Md. is a small, upscale and very wealthy enclave located just up the river from Washington, D.C. that's filled with gated mansions and exclusive country clubs. (The major Potomac power players picked to fill the six new Housewives slots are Gizelle Bryant, Katie Rost, Karen Huger, Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, Robyn Dixon and Ashley Darby.)
But again: Potomac? It doesn't really roll off the tongue and is very close to D.C., which landed its own short-lived RH series in 2010. So why did Bravo select Potomac as its latest Real Housewives locale? Just check out these facts that might blow your mind:
Potomac was listed as the most affluent town in all of the US based on the median household income in 2013 by CNNMoney.com.
The median household income? More than $240,000.
It was listed as the 29th richest zip code in 2011, and had the largest population of any US town to have that high of a median income.
Per Forbes, Potomac is the third most top-educated place in America. 78.6 percent has a bachelor's or graduate degree and only 2.5 percent of the population didn't graduate high school.
Some famous people from Potomac, or who have lived there? Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen, CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Olympian boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, Darren Star, Sylvester Stallone, tennis player Pete Sampras, Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter and NBA player Patrick Ewing, to name but a few.
It was ranked No. 1 in a a list of the Top 10 Hottest-Guy Cities.
Two Potomac residents made Forbes' list of the 400 wealthiest people in America in 2015: Mitchell Rales, whose net worth is $3.5 billion, and Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, whose net worth is $2.1 billion.
And, because it amuses me, Urban Dictionary describes Potomac as "the 'Darkhorse' of rich American towns."
The Real Housewives of Potomac premieres Sunday, Jan. 17, on Bravo.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)