By Larry Olmsted, Special for USA TODAY

Unlike densely populated South Florida or theme-park epicenter Orlando, the western panhandle of Florida has no big cities, and trendy nightclubs are few and far between. The region is not exactly sleepy, with plenty of golf courses and resort developments, but for many years it hasn't drawn much attention from second-home buyers beyond nearby Louisiana, Texas and Alabama. Not so any longer. Attracted by some of the best values in Florida (not to mention some of the state's most acclaimed beaches), buyers from all over the USA and Canada are heading to south Walton County. A new international airport scheduled for 2010 may bring them from even farther.