But you can spare yourself some heartache with a little smart shopping--starting, not incidentally, with the niche-targeted descriptions of ten outdoorsy haunts to be found on the following pages. Would you rather duck out quietly to a place like Homer, Alaska, or get in early on the boomlet that the smart money says is coming soon to Franconia, New Hampshire? Are you scheming to go global with your ad agency as soon as possible (in Portland, Oregon you'll blend right in) or to go barefoot as often as possible (aloha, Hana)? Which appeals more, cultural ambience or cultish devotion to sport?

For each town featured, we've provided the skinny on the neighborhoods, the closest outback, the job market, the spots where locals accumulate, and yes, its drawbacks. So if inspiration strikes and you happen to get nudged down a road you've never before considered, at least you'll have an inkling of what lies at the end.