Many people dream of living on the water. It often does not matter where, if the views are spectacular and the water clean. Many people like beach homes in warm climates, which is a major reason people move to states like Florida. Others like winter sports and have beach homes in places like northern Michigan. Some people have beach homes on lakes. Others prefer homes on the ocean.

Filter King set out to find the cities that are the best ones in which to own a beach home. They considered several factors. Among them were home prices, one-year home price increases, average maximum temperature, air quality and rainfall. They also looked at Airbnb rental data. As Filter King’s Beach House Hotspots puts it: “Beaches remain one of the most popular vacation destinations, and whether you go for the sun, sand, sea, or simply the fresh air, everyone loves a trip to the seaside.

Locations were rated on a scale from 1 to 10. Not surprisingly, most of the best locations were along the Atlantic, in Florida, and the Gulf states, including Alabama and Texas.

The best location for beach houses was Galveston, Texas, with a rating of 7.64. Ironically, Galveston is the location of the most devastating hurricane in U.S. history. The Great Galveston Hurricane killed as many as 8,000 people in August 1900. Fortunately, early warning systems make sudden hurricane fatalities much less likely. However, Galveston remains in a section of the Gulf endangered every year by huge storms.

These are the top five places to own a beach house and their Filter King scores:

• Galveston, Texas: 7.64
• Orange Beach, Alabama: 7.52
• Panama City Beach, Florida: 7.45
• Miramar Beach, Florida: 7.43
• Gulf Shores, Alabama: 7.38

Click here to see the best place to buy a vacation home.

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