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Hi, I recently have the opportunity to move to a new city of my choosing and I need some help. I currently live in Charleston, SC and love it, but I'm looking for somewhere new with better job opportunities and quality of life. I have to admit that I am somewhat of a beach girl. I am, however, open-minded and I love to go out a lot and have fun. Is Asheville a good match for someone like me? If not, any suggestions in the Southeast?
Last edited by blondstar; 10-21-2007 at 05:57 PM..
I bet you will miss CHS. If you have a great job opportunity in Asheville, you might like it there. Just be prepared for a little bit of unfriendliness. It seems that some people resent beach dwellers.
Asheville's probably not the best place for a 20-something single girl. Jobs are not plentiful, unless in the medical or tourism/service field and this is basically a retirement mecca. Not saying you won't like it, but there might be better choices. Good luck, whatever you decide!
HUH? That is nonsense. Perhaps you are confusing beach dwellers with people from Florida, who are mostly yankee's that can't take the heat and humidity any longer.
Those that are resented are the well healed arrogant yankee's that want to bulldoze a mountain top so they can have a view, then complain about how backwards the believe the area is.
It could be that you have not been unfriendly to people who used to live at the beach. I, unfortunately, did experience alot of unfriendly behavior from my old job at a retail job in WNC. I grew up in Virginia mountains, have never lived in Florida, and am not arrogant or rich. What is nonsense is that you are on this board all the time and cannot see that there is certainly an unfriendly-to-outsiders air to Asheville area. I have lived in Arizona, Oregon, S. Carolina, Central NC and Georgia. In none of these places did I experience the uncomfortable feeling that I got from the people of Asheville. Sorry to disagree, but it's not right to let some young lady from Charleston think that she will not find a much different vibe from the gracious city she is used to.
I went to college in Asheville, graduated and 2005 and have lived in the DC Metro since then. I miss it dearly. Of course, the pressures facing a college student are much different than the pressures facing someone trying to build a career and I'm sure I would have a hard time finding a similarly paying job in the area now.
Job market aside, Asheville is a great town for someone who isn't an urbanite but still likes a bit of a social scene, enjoys being a short drive from wilderness and can appreciate eccentric folks and an artsy culture. I consider myself a conservative, and while the hippies annoyed me once in a while, I really enjoyed being in an atmosphere where people take interest in more than themselves.
Plenty of lower key places to hang out downtown and you can pretty much park anywhere and walk the entire downtown area. If you like having good beer and conversation, without loud pop music blaring in the background, I think you'll like the Asheville bars. I long for the days of good local brew for $3 or $4 a pint at Barleys! Now I pay $7 and up in crowded DC bars.
Music scene isn't bad and some big acts come through the Orange Peel. I was just down there a few months ago for the Smashing Pumpkins residency, great times. There are also some smaller venues that cater to indie bands and such (Grey Eagle is a good one).
I was disappointed to see some of the staple coffee shops close, such as Beanstreets and the Double Decker Bus, but the Old World Cafe is still charming, at least I think that's what it's called, formerly Old Europe, which relocated a few blocks away and became a bistro.
Outdoor opportunities are endless, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, reasonable skiing 2 hours away in Boone.
Obviously, it seems like you know both cities very well. I grew up about 40 miles from Asheville on the TN side and have always loved Asheville. I've also been going to Charleston for years now, which I also love. I prefer Asheville just because I prefer Southern Appalachia in general and the activities the mountains give you. Bar scene is much different than Charleston, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Music scene is much better in Asheville compared to the size of CH. Now, as far as better job opportunities, you probably won't have as good as luck, but other than that, go for it if it makes you happy.
HUH? That is nonsense. Perhaps you are confusing beach dwellers with people from Florida, who are mostly yankee's that can't take the heat and humidity any longer.
Those that are resented are the well healed arrogant yankee's that want to bulldoze a mountain top so they can have a view, then complain about how backwards the believe the area is.
I want to thank the 'native' for his wonderful insight on us yankees.
We didnt bulldoze a mountain. The local contractor did. He created a great subdivision off Jupitor road, N of the Town of Weaverville. This plot was shown to us by a local RE agent. The S/D is located on the side of a hill. It has 6 houses on it. The last was finished in March this year. The people who bought here are from, 2 - WNC, 1 - Maryland, 1 - SCarolina, 1 - California and us from Brooklyn, NY. We are not well "healed" nor "arrogant". We find the "natives" to be very friendly. In fact, we have yet to run into anyone unfriendly. We love it here.
I see many area's close by being developed. They were sold by locals to developers from the SC, WNC, GA and TN area's. So to say that the yankees are bulldozing is to believe that view is one-sided. Another fact, these same developers are advertising about these sites in local newspaper back in "Yankee" world. Hmmm We didnt come here thru that. We came and saw when we visited family. We drove around and fell in love with this area. We sold our "yankee" house and here we are 2 years later firmly established in the mountains. Funny thing is, not a yankee or redneck in site. We are all one happy community. Having block parties on our cul d sac, going out socially quite often. So please mr ashville native, stop with the bulldozing. The hole you are creating maybe to deep to get out of.
I want to thank the 'native' for his wonderful insight on us yankees.
But you see their efforts, their ugly gashes on the mountain sides so they can build their vulgar sized house on the mountain you see on your drive out 19/23 don't you. Those are the people I was talking about.
If you haven't noticed, look toward Reynolds Mtn on your way home from Asheville, you can't miss the ugly they have created.
But you see their efforts, their ugly gashes on the mountain sides so they can build their vulgar sized house on the mountain you see on your drive out 19/23 don't you. Those are the people I was talking about.
If you haven't noticed, look toward Reynolds Mtn on your way home from Asheville, you can't miss the ugly they have created.
Who are those people with these gashes on the mountain side? I have no idea. For all I know they are a cross section of folks from all over the country. Besides WHY would you want to build a house where you look down on a shopping center parking lot. Not me.
Blame the politicians, the locals who owned the land and sold to the developers, not the yankees.
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We didnt come here thru that. We came and saw when we visited family. We drove around and fell in love with this area. We sold our "yankee" house and here we are 2 years later firmly established in the mountains. Funny thing is, not a yankee or redneck in site. We are all one happy community. Having block parties on our cul d sac, going out socially quite often. So please mr ashville native, stop with the bulldozing. The hole you are creating maybe to deep to get out of.
