Shooting Stars is right in most regards.
If your into the natural foods industry/holistic nutrition/"green life", you will
much more at home in Asheville - however, competition for this type of business could be brutal.
Coming from SF, CA to even Asheville will be shocking. (Fortunately) there is still a bit of the "old South" ingrained in Western NC. I do not mean racism (although it still exists) but more of mannerly people, slower pace of life, etc. Additionally, Asheville and a diverse populace are not mentioned in the same breath. The Upstate of SC is much more diverse (with BMW [German] and Michelin [French]).
Yes, the
Upstate of SC is more conservative than the
city of Asheville. However, rural Western NC is just as conservative as parts of the Upstate. Really the only "progressive" areas of the Upstate are the city of Greenville (by far) and perhaps the city of Spartanburg.
Yes, there are few "farm-to-table" restaurants in the Upstate but I would say demand here would be great. Operating costs here could be much lower as well.
Please understand that the cost-of-living in the Upstate of SC (even the city of Greenville) is much lower than Western NC. As an example, just crossing the state line into NC, gas prices are
easily 20 cents more per gallon.
It's really about
you want: to live
in the mountains or have easy
access to the mountains. Each has their pros/cons.
So to address your concerns...
1. holistic living: Asheville
2. good food/healthy food: Asheville (however, Greenville does have some wonderful
downtown restaurants)
3. worldly/culture: tie (the Upstate of SC is much more diverse; each has some great cultural events but Greenville does have the
Peace Center [undergoing significant renovation] and the
Bi-Lo Center)
4. access to nature: Asheville (realize that Greenville is a little more than one hour south of Asheville; additionally, elevations greater than 3,000 feet are about 45 minutes north of Greenville,
still in SC; lastly, some of the greatest concentrations of
waterfalls in the country lie at the NC/SC border)
5. green, tree lined neighborhoods: tie (why do you think they call this city "Greenville" - fantastic
neighborhoods here)
6. opened mindedness/tolerance for diversity: Asheville
I've been offered a few positions in western NC and I actually chose Greenville, SC - my reasons: lower cost of living, fantastic
downtown area (Greenville) - no comparison to anything in Western NC, family friendly area, better shopping (Whole Foods, Total Wine, Costco, Apple Store, Trader Joe's, etc etc), gentler winters but still four seasons (I despise driving on snow/ice and long periods of frigid cold)
I encourage you to visit both areas - however, IMO, you may feel more "at home" with Asheville
Other resources:
Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau
Explore Asheville
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