Brevard and Cullowhee? (Asheville, Waynesville, Franklin: townhome, employment, schools)

[Griffis]

Any thoughts or info on these two towns? Asheville has expanded so much it seems too large (and pricey) for us, but we love the area.

Cullowhee and Brevard are two towns that come to mind when we think about relocating (from lousy Oklahoma) later this year. Both towns have small universities and that is appealing (and a potential source of employment for me).

Basically, just wondered if those two towns had been affected by the sprawl that seems to be happening to Asheville and its burbs.

Also-- any info on schools, drug problems, etc. would be much appreciated.

[chisoxfan]

Cullowhee most definitely has not been affected by sprawl. There's not a lot there other than the university ... which might be a good thing if that's what you're looking for. A couple of interesting small towns, Sylva and Dillsboro, are nearby; Waynesville and Franklin are bigger and probably each about 30 minutes away. I've chatted online with fellow Floridians who bought land near Cullowhee with the intention of building a retirement home, and they really like the area.

Brevard is larger and an established magnet for retirees, especially Floridians. Land and housing prices reflect this. There's some suburban-type shopping center growth as you enter town from the north, but certainly nothing like Asheville. Downtown is very nice and the area around town is beautiful; you won't have to drive far to see waterfalls.

[JRR]

Actually, it looks like things are starting to happen around Cullowhee. There is a gated community named The Cove at Flat Gap that is being developed there. It has about a hundred lots and they start somewhere around $90,000.

Add in the proposed expansion of Western Carolina University in the form of a Millennium Campus, and it looks like the face of the area may be changing dramatically over the next few years. Whether this is good or bad remains to be seen by the manner that the growth is handled. One phrase used by the university was “We’re going to try to grow with some sensitivity,” . Hopefully they will remember that as things proceed.

[JRR]

Cullowhee may not be just a wealthy retiree, sit on the front porch area in the future.

This is a short description (from the university) of what the Millennium Campus might be: What is a Millennium Campus? Well, some of you may be familiar with university technology parks. You also may be familiar with the Centennial Campus at NC State. The Millennium Campus will be related to these types of concepts but it will have some very strong differences. Foremost among these differences is that the mix of specific activities will reflect both Western's mission and location.

The Millennium Campus legislation allows universities to enter into public-private partnerships with businesses that support development of the University while promoting economic development. We might, for example, encourage businesses to locate on the campus that link to our engineering and technology, molecular sciences, forensic sciences, health, or computer science programs. We are looking for a mix of activities—involving housing, services, and academic functions—to support development of the campus and the region,

[JRR]

Griffis originally expressed an interest in Cullowhee and I was only putting out some information about how the area might possibly be changing from a very quiet end of the world place to something a bit more. Just because I mentioned the one gated community was being developed with $90,000 lots doesn't mean that the area will be overun with only $500,000 and up rich retiree houses. But it may mean that developers are interested in the area with more coming in various price ranges.

If anyone has an interest in moving to the area, they may want to consider how there might be more opportunites coming in the future with the WCU expansion and if developers add to the population of the area. But in the end, nobody knows for sure what it will look like in a few years.

Didn't mean to step on anyone's toes

[angieterp]

Doesn't seem to be much housing available in that area so I started looking in nearby Sylva. Then I read about a planner there who just quit in a huff over town commissioners voting down a proposal for a 68 unit (affordable housing) townhome community in city limits. Apparently the draw of good hardworking folks at nearby hospitals, university, etc. is not enough to warrant decent homes for those contributing to the local economy. Apparently only wealthy people who carve up mountains for a view and put up gates and fences to keep out the undesirables are welcome in these parts. But I'm not bitter.

[blueridgemama]

Brevard is a little expensive and starting to sprawl a bit, if you consider how it feels driving through Pisgah Forest on 64. It is a lovely town, though, and there are still semi-affordable areas toward 64 east and also going up 280 towards Mills River. There is a lot to do and having Dupont State Forest to the south and Pisgah National Forest to the north, there is no shortage of beautiful activities outdoors.