Most popular destinations for vacation homes

With the worst of the economic crisis behind us, many Americans are re-entering the market for vacation homes. A new snapshot of the second-home market provides rankings of the most popular areas for online searches for vacation homes for sale or rent on the real estate website Trulia. The site also provides some guidelines for what you can expect to pay.

Bargain hunters will find the best deals in Gatlinburg, Tenn., near Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the resort town of Pigeon Forge, where the median home on the market lists for $179,600. Other relative bargains are in East Coast beach towns, including Myrtle Beach, S.C. ($219,000), and Ocean City, Md. ($275,000).

If you're seeking a second home in Nantucket, the vacation island off the coast of Massachusetts, better bring a dinghy full of cash. The median home price is a whopping $1.79M, more even than tony East Hampton, N.Y. (1.25M). Of the top 20 markets, Harvey Cedars on the Jersey Shore is the third most expensive at $887,500.

Other interesting tidbits from Trulia's data:

More than 26% of searches by New Yorkers are for homes in the Hamptons or Montauk.

Half of all searches by Bostonians are for in-state properties.

Resort areas in Wisconsin and Michigan draw stronger interest from Chicago residents than those in Illinois.

You'll find an interesting interactive map on Trulia's site, detailing the top second home markets for several large U.S. cities.