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I stumbled upon the Asheville area thanks to the Blue Ridge Liberty Project, and have been trying to research the area. The area around Burnsville has really caught my eye, as I grew up on forty acres in upstate New York, and would like to continue to live in a rural area where I can raise some small livestock (dairy goat, poultry), have a garden, and enjoy four seasons.
What can you tell me about the political climate surrounding Asheville, especially up north in the mountains / Burnsville region? We're fairly libertarian in our politics, with my husband leaning more Republican than myself. How about the state as a whole?
As you might have guessed from the raising small livestock and garden comment, we are interested in supporting local foods and agriculture. What's the market like for that down there? Farmer's markets? CSAs? Also, I've been diagnosed as gluten-intolerant... is there much in the grocery stores down there for those with dietary restrictions? Not a huge issue, as I order most of my gluten-free flours through Amazon, but we do have one chain up here that actually carries a lot of gluten-free stuff and it's nice to be able to try something you can pick up locally versus buying it in bulk off Amazon and discovering you don't like it.
What about weather? The area I'm from is the middle of a lake effect snow belt, so I'm used to plenty of snow. I've always said that I'll take snow over tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, poisonous critters, etc... at least snow melts! What's the worst of the weather down there? Speaking of poisonous critters... we don't really have any here, unless you take the Lyme-carrying deer ticks into account. What do you have down there?
We're also big on hunting and fishing (and our Second Amendment rights... Libertarian, remember?)... what are the regulations like down there regarding guns? I know you can't hunt with a firearm on Sunday... I saw that while I was researching. What're the state laws regarding "assault rifles"? Handguns? For that matter, what are your hunting regulations like?
Is there much in the way of churches around Burnsville? If so, any idea on what the denominations are, how active they are within the community, etc?
What are the major industries surrounding the Burnsville area? Do most residents commute to Asheville? I'm a stay-at-home mother to two little ones at the moment, and my husband works as a groundskeeper for a local entrepreneur. He has also worked in paving and catering in the past. Not high-paying jobs (we live on less than $30k/year), but we're frugal, and not interested in "keeping up with the Jones". We don't do WIC, we're not on food stamps, we don't get the "free cell phone" ... even though we qualify for all of it. Yeah, we're a little independent. What can I say? Is there much in the way of the "manual labor" segment down that way? Looking at Google Maps images, it would appear that there's quite a bit of logging. Yes/no? If we did move down that way, we'd probably be convincing some of my husband's siblings to move down as well, and go in on a place together. His one brother just finished gunsmithing school... is there much of a viable market down there for that? (Hunting, etc)
Basically, we want a few acres where we can sustainably raise some meat and veggies, and be left alone by the government.
Speaking of which... what are property taxes like? Land is affordable in my area, but property taxes are obnoxious. The area dh is originally from (south central PA) has lower taxes, but property prices are skyhigh and decidedly out of our range unless we want to sit in a trailer park and pay lot rent every month for someplace that offers no options for raising our own food or, for that matter, letting my kids play in the mud.
Ehm. I'm sure I had other questions, but they just aren't coming to me at the moment. I guess this is as good a place to start as any.
Last edited by Hannah_Elise; 01-15-2013 at 03:02 PM..
Ah! Other thoughts that came to me after I posted...
What about healthcare? Or rather, how open is the area to the "complementary" or "alternative" approach, ie, chiropractors, naturopathic doctors, midwives? Just curious. NY won't recognize naturopathic doctors as licensed practitioners, so when I go to one, she can't do exams, can't order bloodwork, etc. She has to ask my "real" doctor to order these things for her. It's a pain.
So. Do you have much of that in the area? From what I've heard, Asheville is a little more on the liberal side, so I would think they'd be more open to alternative health, but on the other hand, I live in one of the most liberal states (THE most liberal state? ) in the nation and they don't recognize NDs. They're also not big fans of homebirth midwives. I had a hard enough time finding a local ND, let alone a midwife. We ended up using a birthing center for #2, and it was a great experience... but it would've been nice to have other options, too. The nearest one to me is a good two hours away... and when you live in someplace with random snowstorms and whiteouts, you're not going to risk that in the middle of winter.
Edited to add:
How about pediatricians who are open to delayed and/or alternative vaccination schedules? Also, how are the school districts when it comes to special needs / Early Intervention?
Last edited by Hannah_Elise; 01-15-2013 at 02:59 PM..
Imo, as I have posted several times, one's politics or religion, (or lack of either), has never been a problem or even a 'point', in our 11 years in western NC.
-Weather is four full seasons, which these past few winters have ranged from lots of snow sometimes, to weirdly warm...a quick look at historical weather/temps on any weather site should be of some guide.
-I eat most anything/everything and in my area, Waynesville, there are 2 full time farm markets. From reading here, many areas do also.
-Brown recluse, black widow, midget scorpions,(rare), some biting bugs in summer at lower elevations, copperhead and timber rattler, and maybe eastern diamondback.
-Search This Forum Tab, upper right hand corner of the page, is your friend:
plugged in 'Burnsville'...some threads to read.
GL, mD
We moved to the Burnsville area about seven years ago and absolutely love it here. Here's my take on the stuff I know about:
Politics - I still get a lot of compliments on my Ron Paul sticker on my truck. I find that most folks are pretty live-and-let-live here. Keep in mind that in NC, you can register "unaffiliated". Primaries are open for us unaffiliated voters so we have some flexibility in who to vote against.
Locally-grown food:
There's an active farmer's market in town and lots of road-side stands with fantastic fresh finds. We either grow or source most of our veggies locally. We also get local poultry, beef, and pork. My only complaint is that its hard to find stuff sometimes. I think that is because the community is small enough that most people just know who has what. When in doubt, just ask a longtime resident.
Weather:
Elevation makes all the difference. There is enough variance in elevations from downtown Burnsville and its surrounding areas to suit just about anyone. Our snowfall will probably be a bit laughable if you're used to upstate NY winters. Since I've lived here, we have had only 3 or 4 snowfalls to exceed a foot. The heaviest I've seen was ~2 feet but most do not exceed 4-6 inches. The snow falls and usually melts in all but the shadiest of spots within a few days. It doesn't stick around long enough to get gross and sludgy.
Critters:
Again, varies by elevation. I had a dog get spider bit a few years ago. The vet suspected a brown recluse. I pretty much live outside in the spring, summer, and fall and have yet to see a poisonous snake (copperhead or timber rattler). I am told that our two poisonous snake species tend to thin out at about 3000ft elevation. That holds true with what I've seen, but I don't know that I've seen it documented officially anywhere. I'll ask next time I'm at the excellent WNC Nature Center in Asheville.
Fishing / Guns:
The South Toe and Cane Rivers run along the Black Mountains and are fed by a gazillion streams - many are stocked for fishing. Make sure you get a license - it is strictly enforced.
This is a very gun friendly community. Overall, NC's gun laws seem reasonable.
Churches:
One word, "Lots". Most churches are Baptist and very small congregations. Second, there are several Methodist churches around. In and around the town of Burnsville, there are more choices and larger congregations. We have visited several local churches and felt very welcome. If nothing local suits you, Asheville has everything you can imagine.
Industry:
There's not much major industry in Burnsville. There are several somewhat large employers, but most folks are either self-employed or commute to Asheville or Johnson City, TN. I commute to Asheville on occasion. Its about a 35 minute drive from my house to downtown Asheville with our swanky new 4-lane highway :-).
There is a good bit of logging in the area. We grow all kinds of trees - even world famous Christmas trees. As mentioned above, this is a gun friendly community so a gunsmith would probably do well.
Taxes:
Well, I moved here from GA so the taxes seemed a bit high to me at first. Local taxes in WNC are highest in Buncombe County / Asheville, or at least they were when we moved here. Of course, you're coming from NY so anything in NC will probably seem like paradise - LOL!
This is a good place for independent-minded folks. If you're self-motivated and creative, you can live comfortably here on not much. We feel at home here and think it is a great place to live and an excellent place to raise children. Good schools and folks look out for each other.
All that said, you gotta come visit on your own before you'll know if its right for you. When you do come, allow time to explore other areas, too. There are a ton of great little towns to choose from in WNC!
Also, I've been diagnosed as gluten-intolerant... is there much in the grocery stores down there for those with dietary restrictions? Not a huge issue, as I order most of my gluten-free flours through Amazon, but we do have one chain up here that actually carries a lot of gluten-free stuff and it's nice to be able to try something you can pick up locally versus buying it in bulk off Amazon and discovering you don't like it.
There is an Ingles grocery store in Burnsville, and not only do they sell some GF flours, but they also label products throughout the store as GF when they are. As a celiac, I just love that. Then you'll find a huge selection of GF flours at GreenLife & EarthFare stores in Asheville. There are also many restaurants in Asheville that offer fantastic GF food.
Also, many people on here look down on mentioning your political leanings as a reason to move or not to move here. As a proud progressive democrat, I have to say, it can get uncomfortable. We are outnumbered. And when people have beliefs & live so differently than you, it does make a difference. But it isn't a deal-breaker for me. At first I wanted out, but then I enjoy living here so much that I choose to accept the differences everyday & focus on what is great about living here.
But if my company happens to send me off to Massachusetts or Maryland, being with like-minded people again would definitely be a plus!!
There is an Ingles grocery store in Burnsville, and not only do they sell some GF flours, but they also label products throughout the store as GF when they are. As a celiac, I just love that. Then you'll find a huge selection of GF flours at GreenLife & EarthFare stores in Asheville. There are also many restaurants in Asheville that offer fantastic GF food.
Thank you for that information. Up here we have a chain called Wegmans that labels similarly - it's great to be able to buy the store-brand and see that it's labeled if it's gluten-free. I wasn't sure if there would be anything similar in a more rural area. Well, I say more... it takes us 30-40 minutes to reach our nearest Wegmans, depending on weather...
Quote:
Also, many people on here look down on mentioning your political leanings as a reason to move or not to move here. As a proud progressive democrat, I have to say, it can get uncomfortable. We are outnumbered. And when people have beliefs & live so differently than you, it does make a difference. But it isn't a deal-breaker for me. At first I wanted out, but then I enjoy living here so much that I choose to accept the differences everyday & focus on what is great about living here.
But if my company happens to send me off to Massachusetts or Maryland, being with like-minded people again would definitely be a plus!!
You on the other hand, should fit right in.
Good luck with your decision!
I'm sorry if I rankled anyone; that certainly was not my intention! I really appreciate that you let me know about that, though... it's never fun to inadvertently offend someone and not realize it. It just seemed worth asking, as we're currently in a situation where we love the rural part of New York that we're in - I grew up on this farmland, and know it like the back of my hand. I truly feel like it's a part of me. That said, New York has only grown and grown in regulations and taxes (and I'm not just referencing our latest legislation that makes us the toughest gun control state) over the years, and there's no "live and let live" here. We're under NYC's thumb. Period. So I guess I just wanted to make sure that we weren't "jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire," as it were. Does that make sense?
Again, it was not my intent to offend. I just wasn't sure where else to ask about the political climate, not being from the area. The closest I've been was to visit my grandfather in Dickson, TN, when he had cancer a few years back. I just... like information. In case you couldn't tell from all of my rambling questions. Once I have the information, and I go to share it, I have to be careful not to .. erm.. cause eyes to glaze over. My poor husband. And family at large.
Edit:
Oh, and I just wanted to add... thank you for the civil discourse. It's nice to see it coming from someone on the other side of the political aisle. And I don't mean that in a bad way ("Eek! All progressives are eeeevil!" or something, ye ken?) - far too often folks from ALL parts of the political spectrum just want to sit around and name-call and snipe at each other rather than have a civil conversation about something... it gets tiresome after a while. I have strong beliefs, sure, but that doesn't mean that we can't talk, right? So. Just wanted to point out that that was refreshing.
Not a sticking point, but there is no grocery store like Wegman's, anywhere in western NC, imo...
No deal breaker, but Wegman's is a step or two above the local grocery chain fare.
And, I haven't run into anyone that really gives a damn about my political or religious views in 11 years of living in western NC.
GL, mD
One short addition to the great feedback you've already received... Burnsville is just down the road from world-renown Penland School of Crafts, and a lot of fabulous artists (potters, wood-turners, glassblowers, weavers, etc.) have settled in the area after teaching and/or taking courses there. So, even though the natives may tend toward being conservative, there is a considerable presence of "free thinkers" scattered about the area.
I'll share my experiences - maybe it will help you in some way. Bear with me for a second, and I'll get to Burnsville, NC. I grew up in central NY (dairy country, snow belt, etc.) and my wife grew up outside Albany, NY. After shorter stays in other states, we lived for 26 years in northern VT (12 miles from the Canadian border). In regard to length of winter and severity of cold temperatures, winter in northern VT makes a central NY winter pale in comparison. Six and a half years ago we moved to just outside of Charleston, SC. It was NOT to get away from winter - it was to be closer to our 2 daughters, their families, AND our grandchildren. It has been both the best and worst decision of our adult lives. Yes, here in SC is city and suburbs vs VERY rural in VT, and personally, that has not been good. Also VT was very much "live and let live" even when people had very different views. Generally speaking, SC is VERY much at the opposite end of the spectrum in regard to "live and let live" and this applies to social issues, political issues, religion, etc. Enough of that, and on to NC. Shortly after we moved to SC, we traveled to western NC (Asheville area) for a weekend stay. It was like a "breath of fresh air". We have now spent many weekends and vacations in western NC and we plan on retiring there in a couple of years. Burnsville is one of the areas that we are most seriously considering. We have spent time in Burnsville, Hendersonville, Saluda, around Lake Lure, near Cashiers, Waynesville, near Hot Springs in Madison County, and even as far west as Murphy, NC. No place is perfect, but these areas have a lot going for them. There certainly seems to be more "live and let live" than in SC. It's not like everyone in western NC agrees on all issues, and that wouldn't be healthy anyway. We are partial to the mountains, the strong arts and music emphasis, preservation of traditional Appalachian crafts and music, commitment to sustainable agriculture, etc. For us, it's much more appealing and still a lot closer to our children and their families than northern VT would be. Burnsville is very high on our list - we found people in that area to be extremely friendly and welcoming. Real estate-wise, you could almost draw concentric circles around Asheville and for every 10 miles further from Asheville, average prices go down by so many thousands of dollars. Unless someone is rich, you have a lot better chance of owning more land the further you get from Asheville. Obviously there's always tradeoffs (no matter what state you're considering) between living closer to population centers and farther out in rural areas. I hope that I haven't rambled too much.
The above is obviously a SCAM ! where are you Sunny ?
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) in the nation and they don't recognize NDs. They're also not big fans of homebirth midwives. 
I had a hard enough time finding a local ND, let alone a midwife. We ended up using a birthing center for #2, and it was a great experience... but it would've been nice to have other options, too. The nearest one to me is a good two hours away... and when you live in someplace with random snowstorms and whiteouts, you're not going to risk that in the middle of winter. 
Up here we have a chain called Wegmans that labels similarly - it's great to be able to buy the store-brand and see that it's labeled if it's gluten-free. I wasn't sure if there would be anything similar in a more rural area. Well, I say more... it takes us 30-40 minutes to reach our nearest Wegmans, depending on weather... 
