Although many celebrities live in Park City, like Will Smith, Katherine Heigl, and Jeffrey Katzenberg (of Dream Works), the resort town still manages to retain its low-key charm and mysterious appeal. Park City still has the appeal of a smaller town, but also boasts the night-life, variety, and intrigue of a large, cosmopolitan city.

Out-of-towners like Park City and Deer Valley because the area offers the best of both worlds: the charm and appeal of a small town coupled with the night life and vibrancy of a major city. The locals like Park City because it’s still one of the best kept secrets in the country. Celebrities like Park City because it gives them a chance to get away from the bright lights of Hollywood.

As recently as January 2014, the folks at RealtyTrac came up with some interesting numbers that actually prove that Park City is a pretty great place for investing in real estate. RealtyTrac is a company that researches trends in real estate (for example, foreclosures, real estate owned properties, rental properties, and more). This is type of the data that real estate investors like to look at when buying properties.

RealtyTrac came up with some data for some of the nation’s top ski resorts, including Park City, Aspen, Telluride, Vail, and Steamboat Springs, to name a few. All in all, the company drummed up some data on 19 different resorts, and gave Park City a No. 9 ranking. Some of the criteria considered were things like foreclosure rates, median list prices, rental vacancy rates, unemployment rates, and closeness to the airport.

Since Park City is located about 30 minutes from Salt Lake International Airport, it ranked very high in that category. The median price for homes in Park City is $897,129, while the median price in Aspen is approximately $2,316,250, and the median price in Vail $626,142. So, you’re seeing some pretty major differences in home prices in the major resorts. Compared with homes selling for nearly $2.5 million in Aspen, home prices in Park City are much cheaper.

Interesting, the company also looked at unemployment rates in each town that they studied. The unemployment rate in Utah is 3.80; it’s 6.50 in Vail, and 7.60 in Aspen, as unemployment has some bearing on peoples’ ability to buy homes in the area.

Although the statistics provide some good supporting evidence, the fact still remains that Park City still provides and exciting and vibrant place to live for people looking for a place to get away from it all.

With everything that Park City has to offer, you won’t really find a better place in the U.S. Whether you’re a celebrity, local, or non-local, Park City offers something for everyone. To top it all off, Outside Magazine recently named Park City the best place to live in America. The readers of Ski Magazine have also given Park City high rankings for several years in a row. Local residents reacted with much glee, and the realtors are pretty happy about the news too. Whether you’re looking for a rental property, vacation home, or a permanent place to live, Park City offers some great options.

Places like Aspen Colorado are still considered the place for Hollywood actors, where people go to “see and be seen,” while Park City is a place where people in the limelight can remain anonymous, kick back, relax, and avoid the monotony of the Hollywood lifestyle.

The answer to the question of whether or not Park City is a great place to buy real estate is a resounding, “Yes,” as real estate in the area continues to rise, and people are still buying homes in an effort to keep up with the economy.

Karin Gage is an agent with Summit Sotheby’s International Realty and is an expert in the Deer Valley and Park City real estate markets.