EscapeHomes, based in San Francisco, matches second-home buyers and sellers with professionals in the industry. It compiled this list of emerging vacation-home markets based on traffic to its Web site (the number of clicks on the towns it has listings for), written inquiries, and its own research and travels.
Amanda Sturges, director of operations, says the group has begun discussions with several big builders on using its Web site as an online marketing company by posting maps of upcoming communities. “It will be a pre-sale tool that creates a buzz for developments before they’re actually built,” she says. Following is an alphabetized list of up-and-coming markets, and the metropolitan areas closest to each.
| Up-and-Coming Market | Closest Metropolitan Area |
| Burnside, Ky. | Lexington and Frankfort, Ky; Knoxville, Tenn. |
| Caribou, Maine | Quebec, Canada |
| Ely, Minn. | Duluth and Grand Rapids, Mich. |
| Island Park, Idaho | Bozeman, Mont.; Jackson, Wyo. |
| Ketchikan, Alaska | Juneau, Alaska; Seattle |
| Lake Martin, Ala. | Birmingham and Montgomery, Ala.; Atlanta |
| Sisters, Ore. | Portland and Eugene, Ore. |
| St. George, Utah | Las Vegas and Salt Lake City |
| Waterville Valley, N.H. | Concord, N.H.; Montpelier, Vt.; Augusta, Maine |
| White Mountain, Ariz. | Phoenix |
Back to Second Time Around
