Best US beach towns by momentum

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Coastal cities and towns with 'beach', 'shore', 'harbor', 'bay', or 'island' in the name, located in coastal states.

Beach towns are a category — name and geography both have to fit. We filter for coastal states (Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf, plus Great Lakes-adjacent) AND a name with a beachy keyword.

Note: this list is by momentum score, not 'best for visiting'. The cities here are the beach towns the data says are working right now — growing populations, holding home values, or both.

1Oak Island, NCMyrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach · pop 9,32279Hot$572,756median home+1.5%1-yr
2Newport Beach, CALos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · pop 82,97078Hot$3,709,420median home+9.0%1-yr
3Beachwood, NJNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 11,24277Rising$467,108median home+4.5%1-yr
4Hilton Head Island, SCHilton Head Island-Bluffton · pop 38,15874Rising$787,040median home+2.9%1-yr
5Orange Cove, CAFresno · pop 9,70874Rising$299,761median home+4.9%1-yr
6Glen Cove, NYNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 28,08873Rising$810,158median home+8.3%1-yr
7South Bay, FLMiami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach · pop 5,16073Rising$229,691median home+0.6%1-yr
8Neptune Beach, FLJacksonville · pop 7,03271Rising$786,427median home+3.2%1-yr
9Union Beach, NJNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 5,69171Rising$530,550median home+3.7%1-yr
10Long Beach, NYNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 34,77770Rising$797,398median home+5.1%1-yr
11Solana Beach, CASan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad · pop 12,86870Rising$2,256,807median home+3.0%1-yr
12Bayonne, NJNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 74,53269Rising$590,571median home+1.6%1-yr
13Laguna Beach, CALos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · pop 22,56469Rising$3,006,761median home+3.2%1-yr
14Pismo Beach, CASan Luis Obispo-Paso Robles · pop 7,98469Rising$1,116,118median home+2.7%1-yr
15Island Park, NYNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 5,01969Rising$746,327median home+3.6%1-yr
16Virginia Beach, VAVirginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News · pop 454,80868Rising$427,121median home+3.1%1-yr
17Huntington Beach, CALos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · pop 193,15168Rising$1,364,265median home+3.2%1-yr
18Gig Harbor, WASeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue · pop 12,64368Rising$826,020median home+0.1%1-yr
19Seal Beach, CALos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim · pop 24,42167Rising$845,597median home+1.8%1-yr
20Long Beach, MSGulfport-Biloxi · pop 17,21767Rising$237,241median home+0.9%1-yr
21Palm Beach, FLMiami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach · pop 9,49367Rising$2,071,518median home-1.2%1-yr
22Bayville, NYNew York-Newark-Jersey City · pop 6,73967Rising$843,485median home+3.8%1-yr
23Royal Palm Beach, FLMiami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach · pop 41,94866Rising$482,160median home-1.1%1-yr
24North Myrtle Beach, SCMyrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach · pop 20,79866Rising$389,999median home-2.0%1-yr
25Fernandina Beach, FLJacksonville · pop 13,67266Rising$609,043median home-2.1%1-yr
26Carolina Beach, NCWilmington · pop 6,86466Rising$609,835median home-1.3%1-yr
27West Palm Beach, FLMiami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach · pop 127,74465Rising$399,650median home-2.3%1-yr
28Palm Beach Gardens, FLMiami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach · pop 63,28465Rising$677,689median home-1.1%1-yr
29Copperas Cove, TXKilleen-Temple · pop 39,62765Rising$226,584median home+0.1%1-yr
30New Smyrna Beach, FLDeltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach · pop 33,14465Rising$450,975median home-1.5%1-yr

Sources: Zillow ZHVI, Zillow ZORI, US Census place population.