Balmy island resort with 600 private homes is among priciest US zip codes with houses so in demand that they change hands without ever going on market - and it isn't in Florida or California

A private balmy island resort in a surprising location has become one of America's priciest postcodes. 

Homeowners pay a median price of $4.3 million on Sea Island - a long, narrow strip of land on the southeast Georgia coast.

Located 60 miles away from both Savannah GA and Jacksonville FL, the city contains 600 private homes which are so coveted they often change hands without ever going on the market. 

Golf plays a central role in the city's culture and economy, with its luscious Plantation and Seaside courses hosting the PGA Tour with the help of host and resident pro Davis Love III. 

'It's an understated community with gentility and civility,' Sea Island's president and CEO Scott Steilen told the Wall Street Journal. 

Homeowners pay a median price of $4.3 million on Sea Island - a long, narrow strip of land on the southeast Georgia coast 

 Located 60 miles away from both Savannah GA and Jacksonville FL, the city contains 600 private homes which are so coveted they often change hands without ever going on the market

Golf plays a central role in the city's culture and economy, with its luscious Plantation and Seaside courses hosting the PGA Tour with the help of host and resident pro Davis Love III

'Like a lot of resort communities, we went through the buying frenzy when the pandemic started,' Patrick ​​Dunn, a sales associate at Sea Island Properties, told the WSJ. 

'In 2018, we had roughly 90 homes of our 600 homes listed for sale. During the pandemic, we were down to four or five houses for sale.'

As a result, most of the properties were taken off the market and reserved for people with the right connections. 

Only five real estate listings are currently live on Sea Island, and the most expensive is a 40-acre land parcel with 4,000 feet of beachfront selling for $42 million. 

An Ocean Forest Residences Spanish-style condo with four bedrooms and four bathrooms is the most expensive property listed at $9.875 million. 

The city's origins can be traced back to 1911, when automobile magnate Howard Coffin and his wife Matilda bought nearby Sapelo Island. 

Coffin wrote at the time that he was captivated by 'the gloom of the live oaks, beautiful, braided and woven', and 17 years later he expanded south to Sea Island. 

Civilization began on the island with the opening of the Cloister at Sea Island Hotel in 1928, a luxury Mediterranean-style building with five miles of private beach. 

Its opening was marked by visits from a flurry of dignitaries, and America's 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, visited for the holidays and planted an oak sapling. 

Presidents, royalty and other luminaries have continued the tradition of planting oaks on the island, and in 2004 it became the first US resort to host a G8 summit.

Located 60 miles away from both Savannah GA and Jacksonville FL, the city contains 600 private homes which are so coveted they often change hands without ever going on the market

Golf plays a central role in the city's culture and economy, with its luscious Plantation and Seaside courses hosting the PGA Tour with the help of host and resident pro Davis Love III (pictured)

Civilization began on the island with the opening of the Cloister at Sea Island Hotel in 1928, a luxury Mediterranean-style building with five miles of private beach (pictured)

Its opening was marked by visits from a flurry of dignitaries, and America's 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, visited for the holidays and planted an oak sapling

A women poses in front of the wooden sign for Sea Island and Atlantic Ocean in Georgia in circa 1949

The causeway that connects Sea Island, Ga. to the mainland through St. Simons Island, Ga., is shown Friday, July 18, 2003

The city is also known for its culinary scene, with local specialties including buttery corn muffins, Gold Brick Sundaes, and fresh fruit cobbler. 

In the 1950's a culinary tradition known as the Rainbow Island Supper began with the Cloister hosting an outdoor seafood feast beneath the stars on Friday nights. 

It also hosts a life-size gingerbread house at Christmas, while pets perform at a 'Reindog Parade' as part of the same festivities. 

The city boasts The Lodge at Sea Island, an English country-style manor which was named the best hotel in America in 2016. 

With rates starting from $395 (£280) a night, the 40-room hotel offers a private setting with classic luxury, with guests returning every year for romantic breaks or world-class golf getaways. 

Guest rooms boast rich wood furnishings, exposed beam ceilings, overstuffed chairs, hardwood floors, hand-crafted Oriental rugs and marble bathrooms. 

There is a 24-hour butler service to cater to guests’ needs and one of the quirks is a nightly performance by a bagpiper at sunset. 

U.S. News & World Report said it chose The Lodge because it is a perennial favorite among experts and travelers thanks to its amenities and high standards.