Island Life

Making one's home on a tropical island sounds like an expensive proposition, but this house-hunting series shows it can be done within almost any budget as families seek to find their own corner of paradise. The featured properties run the gamut from ultra-affordable to totally outrageous, located in places like Key West, Fla., Kodiak Island, Alaska, Mount Desert Island in Maine, and Washington State's San Juan Islands. Everyday families ready to start a new adventure, escape hectic lifestyles in cookie-cutter subdivisions, or simply get away from cold and snow, prove that island fantasies can be reality.