These 6 Sunny Cities Are Among the Most Popular for Home Shoppers on Zillow

It may come as no surprise that towns typically known for being getaway destinations have been among the most in-demand housing markets for movers in the past year, according to Zillow research. Topping the list of Zillow’s most popular places: South Lake Tahoe, which saw nearly 5,500 views per home on Zillow from January 2021 to November 2021. Areas like this mountain town with high numbers of vacation homes are seeing more interest on Zillow and have had higher pending-sales growth than the nation at large.

'The most popular places on Zillow reflect a couple of trends we've been seeing throughout the pandemic,' says Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton. 'People have turned to Zillow to escape and dream of the possibilities a move could bring. Meanwhile, those who can now work remotely, at least occasionally, are exploring new opportunities in areas that offer relative affordability and year-round outdoor living.'

In addition to listing page-view traffic, Zillow’s most popular places were determined based on available housing inventory, price appreciation and other housing barometers that indicate consumer demand. The study analyzed thousands of ZIP codes within the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas to create a ranking of the site’s most popular U.S. cities.

So whether you’re one of the growing number of remote workers looking to move, shopping for investment properties, or you just want a change of scenery, you’re far from alone. See where demand is highest, and steel yourself for a competitive market.

Read on to see the top rankings.

Most popular on Zillow overall: South Lake Tahoe, CA

Listings: South Lake Tahoe
Typical Home Value: Just under $700,000
Population: 21,330
Nearest Major City: Reno, Nevada (58 miles)

South Lake Tahoe, a hub of recreation and leisure perched in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, clocked in as 2021’s most popular place in the U.S. 

The mountain resort town sits on the border between California and Nevada and boasts an expansive ski resort and beachfront access to Lake Tahoe — the largest alpine lake in North America. It offers home buyers and renters a small-town vibe, with an easy commute to the Bay Area and Sacramento to the west, and Carson City and Reno to the east.

Its high number of views on Zillow — 5,469 page views per listing — helped hoist it to the No. 1 spot. South Lake Tahoe also landed first place in rankings of most popular small towns and most popular vacation towns. 

Rounding out the top three most popular places are Calabasas, California, a Los Angeles suburb teeming with A-list celebrities; and Malibu, a Southern California city known for its breathtaking beachfront homes.

Most popular beach town: Newport, OR

Listings: Newport
Typical Home Value: $428,534
Population: 10,256
Nearest Major City: Portland, Oregon (132 miles)

Resting at the mouth of Yaquina Bay on the Central Oregon Coast, Newport returned one of the highest numbers of listings mentioning the word “beach” in their description. Newport offers plenty for fans of seafood, and it’s known in some circles as the “Dungeness Crab Capital of the World.” Recreationists can explore its surrounding trails, beaches, and nearby dunes. Families can take boat and kayak tours, check out the area attractions, or explore the downtown area on e-bike. 

Newport edged out the beach towns of Naples, Florida, and neighboring Lincoln City, Oregon, with the most page views per listing.

Most popular retirement town: Lavallette, NJ

Listings: Lavallette
Typical Home Value: $874,325
Population: 1,787
Nearest Major City: New York, New York (73 miles)

Packed efficiently onto all of ​​0.8 square miles on the northern section of Barnegat Peninsula, Lavallette is almost equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia (the latter is 10 miles further). Lavallette has one of the highest numbers of retirees in its population and the most page views per listings out of all the regions Zillow analyzed for this category. 

Most popular small town: Calabasas, CA

Listings: Calabasas
Typical Home Value: Greater than $1.5 Million
Population: 23,241
Nearest Major City: Los Angeles, California (30 miles)

Small towns — defined here as cities with populations of between 15,000 and 25,000 — offer a slower pace than major metropolitan areas. On this list, Calabasas ranks after South Lake Tahoe, and before Evergreen, Colorado. Calabasas also ranked as the second most popular place overall. Essentially a suburb of Los Angeles, it’s known as a hotspot for celebrities making an escape from the big city.

Most popular vacation town: Big Bear Lake, CA

Listings: Big Bear Lake
Typical Home Value: $578,963
Population: 5,046
Nearest Major City: Los Angeles, CA (97 miles)

Big Bear Lake is a little more than a two-hour drive from Los Angeles. A shorter trek than South Lake Tahoe, Big Bear offers many of the same attractions. The shoreline of the man-made lake spans more than 22 miles, and skiing, mountain biking, and hiking opportunities abound in the surrounding San Bernardino Mountains. The city features one of the highest inventories of housing units that are for secondary, vacation or recreational use.

Most popular college town: Tempe, AZ

Listings: Tempe
Typical Home Value: $436,942
Population: 180,587
Nearest Major City: Phoenix, AZ (11 miles)

Just a skip and a jump from Phoenix, Arizona, Tempe is home to Arizona State University, one of the largest populations of undergraduate and graduate college students among all the cities analyzed, and one of the highest numbers of page views per rental listing on Zillow. 

Zillow’s second-most-popular college town is Claremont, California, home to The Claremont Colleges, a consortium of seven colleges, including Pomona College and Scripps College.

Narragansett, Rhode Island, home to University of Rhode Island, ranks third in this category.

So if you’re considering a move to one of these hotspots — or anywhere for that matter — jumpstart the process by learning how to get the most out of your Zillow search and finding a real estate agent in your chosen area.