When thousands of affluent second home shoppers in New Jersey and New York went searching for luxury, gated communities at PrivateCommunities.com last year, North Carolina was the state most on their minds, according to data collected from January through December of 2008.

With a 32 percent (32%) share of all information requests, some originating in New Jersey's most affluent suburbs, interest in North Carolina's gated and golf communities surpassed that of Florida (24%), South Carolina (12%) and Delaware (11%). Combined, all other states and international destinations listed on PrivateCommunities.com made up 16 percent (16%) of information requests from New Jersey's Internet real estate shoppers.

In 2008, New York's affluent also requested information from North Carolina's developers most with 33 percent (33%). These findings suggest residents of the two states share more than a border on the Hudson River, and may aspire to similar lifestyle interests.

"There's a sense of common ground between New Jersey and New York affluent and many Manhattan workers commute from suburbs in New York and New Jersey," said Elisabeth Miller-Fox, co-founder of PrivateCommunities.com, a Web research portal that has tracked second home shopping habits since 1996. "A connection in work might translate to a connection in how they play and spend time with their families too -- they are having similar conversations."

Established in 1996, PrivateCommunities.com is a comprehensive research and information site for affluent consumers seeking primary, retirement or second homes in Destination Amenity Communities. The listings include profiles of private, semi-private and resort golf clubs in more than 30 states and international destinations in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. Communities listed offer a variety of amenities like golf, boating, tennis, equestrian with properties from $100,000 to $10 million.