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Explosion Of 'Zoom Towns' In Pacific Northwest Cause Home Prices To Skyrocket

Bend, Oregon, earns the moniker of being a Zoom town by virtue of strong in-migration and soaring home sales during the pandemic. (Tom Banse)
Bend, Oregon, earns the moniker of being a Zoom town by virtue of strong in-migration and soaring home sales during the pandemic. (Tom Banse)

There’s a new term in the lexicon — “Zoom towns” — those scenic places experiencing a surge of house hunters. The booming demand comes from employees freed by the pandemic to work from home long term.

Such people have gone looking for more elbow room and a lifestyle change. They’re re-settling in places like Aspen, Colorado; Truckee, California; and Bethel, Maine.

The Northwest News Network’s Tom Banse looked into Zoom towns in the Pacific Northwest.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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