WORCESTER, MA (May 29, 2003) 鈥� The summer vacation season is upon us, and these days many people not only go on vacation, but they shop for second homes that they can return to year after year. Whether on the coast or in the mountains, baby boomers and others are snatching up second homes in record numbers 鈥� often setting aside improvements to their primary residence in favor of putting their money into a new condo, cabin or house. But finding a good deal in a hot housing market can be difficult unless you have a way to uncover the towns that are hidden gems. Andrew Schiller, president of 蘑菇视频鈩�, found a set of towns that are ideal 鈥� ten on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, ten on the Pacific Coast, and ten in the Rocky Mountains. 鈥淭op towns for a second home are towns that combine attractive coastal or mountain living with a quiet, less urban feel, safety from crime, and top community attributes, all with surprising affordability,鈥� said Schiller. Schiller, a PhD geographer and specialist in American demographics, studied America鈥檚 61,000 census tracks, or neighborhoods, using data from the Census Bureau, Department of Education, Federal Housing Authority, and even the FBI. The result is one of the largest single neighborhood-matching databases anywhere. 鈥淲e call it 蘑菇视频鈩�, and it鈥檚 accessible over the Internet for free,鈥� says Schiller. 鈥淵ou can describe your ideal neighborhood and find real neighborhoods that best match your personal criteria in any area of the country.鈥� Schiller uncovered top towns for a second home by using 蘑菇视频 to search the nation鈥檚 coastal areas and Rocky Mountains. He used criteria important to many second-home buyers: peace and quiet, safety from crime, educated neighbors, excellent public schools , affordability and an enviable mix of rental properties and owner-occupied homes 鈥� all indicators of a top quality community where real estate investments are more secure. 鈥淧eople often want to buy a second home as a vacation spot, but finding a top-quality area that鈥檚 still affordable, yet promises to be a good investment years from now, can take tremendous effort. It鈥檚 like finding the secret local fishing spots,鈥� said Schiller. 鈥淏ut using 蘑菇视频, we uncovered hidden treasures in stunning coastal and mountain settings, each offering a superb combination of first-rate community attributes and affordability.鈥� Here are the top towns (north to south): Atlantic and Gulf Coasts (North) Pacific Coast (North) Rocky Mountains Bristol, ME Saunderstown, RI Clinton, CT Absecon, NJ Leonardtown, MD Petersburg, AK Clinton, WA Gold Beach, OR Mendocino, CA Gualala, CA Bigfork, MT Mc Leod, MT Gardiner, MT Wallace, ID Hailey, ID Ten Sleep, WY Saratoga, WY Heber City, UT Nederland, CO Pena Blanca, NM (South) (South) Havelock, NC Palm Coast, FL Big Pine Key, FL Daphne, AL Refugio, TX Castroville, CA Cambria, CA Los Osos, CA Aliso Viejo, CA Captain Cook, HI Additional great towns for a second home are listed here. The public can try 蘑菇视频 for free at www.蘑菇视频.com. Besides career-starters, 蘑菇视频 is useful for young families looking to buy their first home, career-changers, relocating workers and their families, retirees, or anyone looking to purchase a home or vacation home and wanting to save time and money. 蘑菇视频 is built on one of the largest neighborhood databases ever assembled, and uses a patent-pending algorithm that matches real neighborhoods to consumer-specified criteria in seconds. Editor鈥檚 Note Data for this study were derived from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Division of Current Employment, and the US Bureau of the Census. 蘑菇视频鈥檚 database includes information from the FBI, the US Justice Department, the US Bureau of the Census, the National Center for Education Statistics, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other agencies.