Three cities in California topped a Zillow scorecard for the top go-to spots in America among cyber surfers, with two located in Los Angeles County.
The three most popular places in the U.S. last year were South Lake Tahoe, followed by Calabasas and Malibu, according to a Zillow survey reported by the Orange County Register.
Calabasas, a toney suburb in the Santa Monica Mountains–known as the home of such tabloid celebs as Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber–was also ranked “most popular small town.”
“Calabasas is not your everyday small town,” according to the Zillow survey. “The typical home here is valued at more than $1.5 million, and the area is known as a hotspot for celebrity residents.”
Zillow combed through 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.
It based its rankings on page-view traffic, available housing inventory, price appreciation and housing barometers that indicate consumer demand.
The most popular places by Zillow surfers reflect trends seen throughout the pandemic – that those who now work remotely search for new opportunities in areas that offer relative affordability and year-round outdoor living.
South Lake Tahoe topped the list, with vacation-style living along the largest freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada. The city also landed first place in Zillow’s rankings of most popular small towns and vacation towns.
Nearly 5,500 page views per listing helped catapult it to the No. 1 spot.
“Lake Tahoe offers home buyers 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,” according to the survey. “The typical home in South Lake Tahoe is valued at $692,792.
Following the popular No. 2 city of Calabasas was third-place Malibu, “known for its jaw-dropping beachfront homes.”
Other best cities include Granite Bay, a suburb of Sacramento at No. 7, as well as East Grand Rapids, Mich., Evergreen, Colo., Jenkintown, Pa., Lavallette, Southlake, Texas and Las Vegas.
Southern California claimed three towns in the San Bernardino mountains among a Top 10 list of “hottest” spots: Big Bear Lake ranked No. 3, Lake Arrowhead No. 4 and Crestline came in at No. 8.
Big Bear Lake, a mecca for nature lovers drawn to its high number of vacation homes, also claimed the most popular vacation town.
“This Southern California city has all the amenities vacationers seek, including plenty of parks, lakes, mountains and hiking trails,” according to the survey. “Additionally, the city has one of the highest inventories of housing units that are for secondary, vacation or recreational use.
Zillow ranked Claremont, home to a consortium of seven small colleges, as the No. 2 college town behind Tempe, Ariz., home to Arizona State University.
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[The OCR] — Dana Bartholomew