North Carolina was the favored destination for Connecticut second-home buyers in 2008, according to an analysis by online housing information provider PrivateCommunities.com.

North Carolina accounted for 34 percent of all second-home information requests generated from Connecticut last year, followed by Florida (18 percent) and South Carolina (16 percent).

Closer to home, states like New Hampshire, Maryland and Delaware also drew significant interest, the company said, perhaps owing to an increase in travel costs.

"The idea of living in the Southeast continues to be a driver for the affluent in Connecticut," said Elisabeth Miller-Fox, co-founder of PrivateCommunities.com. "These destinations are perennial favorites, but we also tracked quite a few requests to developers nearer Connecticut. Maybe it was a reaction to spikes in oil prices and airfares last year, but there was significant interest in having a second home closer to home."