Disappointed in Asheville... (Burlington, Henderson, Hendersonville: fit in, apartment complex, rent)

[molliejohns]

I spent a week in Asheville and although I was very excited to go, I came home quite disappointed. I loved the surrounding mountains and nature but as for the city itself, the downtown area, I wasn't impressed at all. Everything I knew from a previous, shorter visit to Asheville and from the research I did on the area before my trip was proved false. Asheville is said to be a clean, diverse, friendly, open minded town and I didn't see ANY of that. The amount of homeless people is ridiculous; I live in central Florida and have experienced my fair share of panhandling in downtown Orlando but it was nothing like in Asheville. As funny as this may sound, I find a lot of the homeless in Orlando to be very friendly people, the kind of people you want to help out, but the homeless in Asheville were very rude. The shopping in downtown Asheville is not diverse at all; it is basically the same three head shops, junk stores, and art galleries over and over. The people of Asheville themselves are not diverse at all, either; all white, and maybe a couple of blacks. The most diversity I saw the entire week was in my significant other, who is a mix of Indian, Asian, and Spanish. Friendly? Not really, not more so than any other city. Furthermore, upon entering a store or restaurant, on more than occassion I felt as if we were given the once over and then, after being determined to be an "out-of-towner," blown off or ignored or treated in an outright rude manner. I really didn't see any diversity or open mindedness; I think the people of Asheville are very accepting of everyone, just so long as those "everyone" are white Buddhists, eat organically grown food, and have dreaded hair and enjoy smoking pot. If I sound as if I'm stereotyping, that makes sense because the people there seem to be trying so hard to fit into the "starving artist" or hippie lifestyle so to fit in with everyone else. How does that make you ecclectic, if you try so hard to be different in order to be just like everyone else who is "different"? It just seemed like all these "open minded" and "unique" people always had their noses in their air and a smirk on their face if someone who wasn't as "cool" as them passed by. It was weird because so many people always say how Florida and Orlando are full of a bunch of pretentious people who have no culture beyond what they believe they have and that is exactly what I experienced in Asheville. I never thought I'd say this but now I believe the people in downtown Orlando are more diverse and friendly than those in Asheville, especially since there are people of all walks of life and backgrounds to be found in Orlando, from tattooed, pierced, ecclectic individuals to the wealthy that live in the condos on Lake Eola, to the people who just like to be outside, taking their dog for a walk, from white, Spanish, black, Asian, and everything in between.
If anything good came from my visit to Asheville, it would be my newfound appreciation for the place I live. I was so happy to get back to the swamps and lakes of central Florida where I can take a stroll through downtown and along Lake Eola, shaded by oaks and weeping willows, where the homeless will play a song on their flute for my dogs [yes, it has happened] and Disney World dominates. Yes, we in Orlando may not have the "culture" of small towns like Asheville but we have diversity, beautiful scenery year-round and Disney and that's good enough for me.

[j1n]

That was a pretty great post. Well put together. Although I'm not sure I would prefer Orlando to most other places (sorry...not meant to offend...I lived there at one point! ), I certainly understand your sentiments. And I know what it's like to be disappointed, disillusioned and glad to go home! You actually confirmed more of what I have been hearing about Asheville...and probably helped me towards crossing it off my list. I have heard it described as very similar to Burlington, VT but with southern folks! But the person who described it to me in that way was there years ago...and is a white guy, who had dreadlocks, and was a huge stoner!

[Jimrob1]

I have found there are several places in the USA like Asheville, Portland is one of them and Eugene also. Its no wonder I have heard some people here in Oregon mention Asheville as a place they would like to visit or live in. Unfortunately these places have several undesirable traits. High concentrations of unemployment, and homelessness. No real industry to sustain their economies. You can be liberal as I am but never really fit it with the type of liberalism in these places, because it is more radicalism. I have thought of Asheville as an area to retire too, but I have had my doubts about it. I found other than the mountain views and areas outside of the city, Asheville and its social woes did little for me. I can understand your new respect for the Orlando area, but if eventually the desire to leave comes up again, maybe you just need a smaller town in florida. At least Asheville is out of your system.

[jbird22]

Hi MollieJohns,
I am so sorry that you didn't enjoy your stay in Asheville. I am in Western NC, but a little further West than Asheville. I enjoy Asheville, but I agree that all of the "uniqueness" in mass quantities, is definitely NOT unique.

What I like best about the area is not the going into Asheville part - although I do enjoy going out to dinner from time to time at a number of great restaurants (not right in the Pack Sq. vicinity) - it is the sheer beauty of the area. The mountains, etc. You might have had a better time in other places (Waynesville, Brevard, Hendersonville) they seem to have shops, dining, etc. but not so much of the "trustafarians" as they are called. (those who live on the street for the great handouts, but are not truly down and out.)

I wanted to let you know that your assessment was fair and even-handed. I appreciate your honesty and as I have said before...it's great to be able to have choices, as one person's heaven might be another person's hell.

Best of luck on your next vacation. -- Jbird22.

PS, I went to bootcamp in Orlando in the 80's. I think they have paved over NTC Orlando and probably made a fortune selling the land to a theme park! Be good.

[Asheville Native]

See that is what happen when you view Asheville without rose colored glasses, or a chemically induced fog, but look at the real Asheville with 20-20 vision and see exactly how unsavory the truth is.

[cooperwx]

The OP used the word "diverse" seven times in his post, so let's further dispel the rumor:

Races in Asheville (from right here on city-data.com!):

* White Non-Hispanic (76.0%)
* Black (17.6%)
* Hispanic (3.8%)
* Two or more races (1.6%)
* Other race (1.5%)
* American Indian (0.8%)

Asheville has a lot of white people. African-Americans didn't come here in droves after Emancipation. The rush of Hispanics over the past 15 years has largely missed Asheville. One of the largest reservations in the Eastern US is 40 miles west of here, yet American Indians don't even represent 1% of our population. There aren't enough Asians to even make the list above.

If you are looking for people of different skin tones, there are MANY better places. If you are looking for people with different views on life, the diversity in ideas/backgrounds is astounding. You will have to look more than just downtown. We have rednecks, racists, trustafarians, radicals, staunch republicans, blue collar, elite upper-crust, homeless, retired folks, small business owners, Christians, athiests, soccer moms, environmentalists, NASCAR fans, outdoorsmen...

Maybe that's the same as can be said anywhere. I don't know.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by molliejohns

I spent a week in Asheville and although I was very excited to go, I came home quite disappointed. I loved the surrounding mountains and nature but as for the city itself, the downtown area, I wasn't impressed at all. Everything I knew from a previous, shorter visit to Asheville and from the research I did on the area before my trip was proved false. Asheville is said to be a clean, diverse, friendly, open minded town and I didn't see ANY of that. The amount of homeless people is ridiculous; I live in central Florida and have experienced my fair share of panhandling in downtown Orlando but it was nothing like in Asheville. As funny as this may sound, I find a lot of the homeless in Orlando to be very friendly people, the kind of people you want to help out, but the homeless in Asheville were very rude. The shopping in downtown Asheville is not diverse at all; it is basically the same three head shops, junk stores, and art galleries over and over. The people of Asheville themselves are not diverse at all, either; all white, and maybe a couple of blacks. The most diversity I saw the entire week was in my significant other, who is a mix of Indian, Asian, and Spanish. Friendly? Not really, not more so than any other city. Furthermore, upon entering a store or restaurant, on more than occassion I felt as if we were given the once over and then, after being determined to be an "out-of-towner," blown off or ignored or treated in an outright rude manner. I really didn't see any diversity or open mindedness; I think the people of Asheville are very accepting of everyone, just so long as those "everyone" are white Buddhists, eat organically grown food, and have dreaded hair and enjoy smoking pot. If I sound as if I'm stereotyping, that makes sense because the people there seem to be trying so hard to fit into the "starving artist" or hippie lifestyle so to fit in with everyone else. How does that make you ecclectic, if you try so hard to be different in order to be just like everyone else who is "different"? It just seemed like all these "open minded" and "unique" people always had their noses in their air and a smirk on their face if someone who wasn't as "cool" as them passed by. It was weird because so many people always say how Florida and Orlando are full of a bunch of pretentious people who have no culture beyond what they believe they have and that is exactly what I experienced in Asheville. I never thought I'd say this but now I believe the people in downtown Orlando are more diverse and friendly than those in Asheville, especially since there are people of all walks of life and backgrounds to be found in Orlando, from tattooed, pierced, ecclectic individuals to the wealthy that live in the condos on Lake Eola, to the people who just like to be outside, taking their dog for a walk, from white, Spanish, black, Asian, and everything in between.
If anything good came from my visit to Asheville, it would be my newfound appreciation for the place I live. I was so happy to get back to the swamps and lakes of central Florida where I can take a stroll through downtown and along Lake Eola, shaded by oaks and weeping willows, where the homeless will play a song on their flute for my dogs [yes, it has happened] and Disney World dominates. Yes, we in Orlando may not have the "culture" of small towns like Asheville but we have diversity, beautiful scenery year-round and Disney and that's good enough for me.

Great post, I think you pretty well nailed how my hubby and I feel about Asheville these days. I, too, am a Floridian (native-born) and live in central Fla. (Lakeland) a nice, working-class "real" town, where we have diversity of all types, but everyone is just themselves without having to "fit in."

When we first visited Asheville 4 years ago, we fell in LOVE with it - back then the downtown seemed so charming and refreshing and I loved all the "free spirits" we saw there. Lots of great little restaurants and coffee shops, etc. But each year, more of the "charm" disappeared, some of the more unique little businesses closed up as the area gentrified, more homeless and nasty panhandlers, and the radicalism is EVERYWHERE! We are open-minded, accepting people, but we are NOT radicals. I am also totally unimpressed with the ungodly amount the city is spending on "Pack Park", it's taking so long and I don't see much to write home about there. That money could have gone to a lot better use, IMO. I think the city government leaves a lot to be desired.

For us, the glow of Asheville is gone - I think it's a beautiful city, I love the mountains and the glorious natural beauty, but it's a place better suited for vacations for us. We have a profound appreciation for where we live since it's not resort-y at all, and are comfortable here. It's a slightly conservative town, but I have decided that is really not such a bad thing.

Thanks for sharing.

[Gillseeker]

Originally Posted by cooperwx

The OP used the word "diverse" seven times in his post, so let's further dispel the rumor:

Races in Asheville (from right here on city-data.com!):

* White Non-Hispanic (76.0%)
* Black (17.6%)
* Hispanic (3.8%)
* Two or more races (1.6%)
* Other race (1.5%)
* American Indian (0.8%)

Asheville has a lot of white people. African-Americans didn't come here in droves after Emancipation. The rush of Hispanics over the past 15 years has largely missed Asheville. One of the largest reservations in the Eastern US is 40 miles west of here, yet American Indians don't even represent 1% of our population. There aren't enough Asians to even make the list above.

If you are looking for people of different skin tones, there are MANY better places. If you are looking for people with different views on life, the diversity in ideas/backgrounds is astounding. You will have to look more than just downtown. We have rednecks, racists, trustafarians, radicals, staunch republicans, blue collar, elite upper-crust, homeless, retired folks, small business owners, Christians, athiests, soccer moms, environmentalists, NASCAR fans, outdoorsmen...

Maybe that's the same as can be said anywhere. I don't know.

The last census data reveales that African Americans comprise 11% of the total population of the United states. if Asheville has an 18% Black population, then it would be considered diverse.

Dan

[tammyraye]

It's the same thing that happens to most "cool" places - the kids that come in & grow businesses when the rent is cheap and the "real business people" are scared of the neighborhoods get priced out of the market once the "Cool" becomes a commercial success. So that energy moves on to another cheap, scary part of town and perks along until the suits notice.

I live & work in a part of town that's still sweet & diverse - but the prices are starting to increase - so it may not stay this way much longer. Yes, there is alot of homelessness - probably because we're the biggest town in the area & it shows so much because we're still a really small town - there's no spreading out. And there are also street musicians that love to play, maybe you just missed them when you were here.

As far as racial diversity - the city is quite mixed, but the demographics are probably for the whole MSA which includes a much whiter rural population also. There is also a large Greek community that has been here for generations, there is a large Ukrainian population, and I have friends from Africa and Pakistan that call Asheville home. There really is a lot of diverisity for such a small town. I know the park near where I work is full of different types of people & that my apartment complex has lots of variety, so I don't know why you didn't see it - Maybe the people who live here fulltime do the work-home-school-church routine & don't get out to play often enough.

I'm sorry you didn't have a better trip - but I have to say whenever I visit another city I can't wait to get back to my Asheville. It's hard to really feel the pulse of a place on a short visit.

[molliejohns]

I'm happy to find that others have had the same experience as I did and it wasn't just me who found it to be less than expected. I agree with what many of you are saying-Asheville is, in fact, a beautiful city, as in the architecture and the surrounding mountains and nature. It was just the people and atmosphere that left a little to be desired, in terms of friendliness and diversity. I still think western NC is beautiful and like someone above suggested, if I should decide to visit the area again, I probably will stay somewhere else. I have family friends who live in Sylva and have been there before and thought it was a great little town.
In response to those posters who commented on my use of the word diversity, know that I didn't go to Asheville and expect a melting pot of various races. I did, however, expect a lot more than I saw and not just in terms of races but walks of life, as well. Trust me, we have our fair share of trustafarians, as someone referred to them [I have never heard of that word before but it describes what I am saying perfectly] to be found in downtown Orlando. These are young adults living in Thornton Park which, if you live in or around Orlando, you'll know is a pretty pricey area, who try so hard to fit into this "hippie" kind of lifestyle, hanging around the head shops or sitting in the grass, playing their guitars in Lake Eola, before heading home to their spacious townhomes. But, we also have many other kinds of people to be found in downtown Orlando, from different walks of life to different races. I just never expected these "trustafarians" to comprise so much of the population in Asheville. Furthermore, I didn't expect the snobby kind of attitude, the "thou art better" reactions from these individuals. I guess I just expected a more small town, southern hospitality with a greater population of lifelong Asheville residents, or at least friendlier ones.
Don't get me wrong, my perception of North Carolina, in general, is that it is a beautiful state with great scenery and friendly people. It was just the people of downtown Asheville that left a bad taste.