Metro: Spartanburg (S.C.)
Share of homes with increasing values: 56.81%
Median value: $106,900
Annual change: 1.81%
Quarterly change: 2.15%

Spartanburg, about 75 miles west of Charlotte, is home to the world headquarters of Denny’s restaurant chain and three colleges—Converse College, Spartanburg Methodist College, and Wofford College. It has the state’s highest per capita college student population. College towns such as Boulder, Colo., and Spartenburg have been somewhat buffered from the downturn because the schools provide solid jobs and a steady flow of apartment and home renters.