As officials ordered the evacuation of New Orleans, the oil industry shut down rigs and pulled back personnel as Hurricane Gustav bore down on the Gulf coast on Sunday.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to 4,000 drilling platforms and 33,000 miles of pipeline, which send 1.3 million barrels a day to the Gulf Coast’s 56 refineries. But a hurricane threatens to deal a powerful blow to the oil-rich region.

A rock-bottom price just isn’t enough for buyers these days - it’s a starting point. If the furnace is out of date, they’ll demand a new one. Cracked driveways have to be repaved, and dirty carpeting torn out and replaced. All at the seller’s expense.

Factors like the cost of living, jobs and access to health services make these cities tops for those in their second acts.

Oil prices rose Wednesday as Tropical Storm Gustav entered the Gulf of Mexico and threatened U.S. oil facilities.

Recovery might be two or three years off, but in these 10 cities, homeowners can expect long-term appreciation.

The statistics are grim: Inflation is at a 17-year high. Unemployment is rising. Foreclosures are spreading.

The market is betting Henry Paulson is about to put on his black hat again. But the Treasury secretary may not be so easily typecast in the saga of the government-sponsored mortgage finance companies.

Mold, maggots and piles of festering trash - no wonder home prices are in freefall.

In these 10 cities, homeowners are taking losses on properties and selling within a year.