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Hi Elizabeth! I am also thinking of moving to Asheville! Where do you live now? NC? Somewhere else in the south? A bit up north? I now live in Wilmington, NC and have always wanted the mountains. I think tht you will love it there! Beautiful, the people that I have met are always friendly...I would go, check it out, see how you feel. If it feels like home to you then move...it doesn't really matter what we all say? Because your experience will always be unique! Good Luck!
Hi, everybody. My husband just got a new job offer in Asheville, NC. It's 10 hours away from where we are living now, and moving, or not moving, is the big question. Let me give a little bit info about ourselves. We are a second generation Asian-American family. I am a speech therapist, and my husband is an anesthesiologist. I heard Asheville has a lot of retirees, so I assume it may not be a problem for me to find a job. I am a city person, and I enjoy the noises and crowdness in the city. But I do agree it's not a good idea to raise kids in the city.
Can somebody tell me what Asheville is like? What is the weather like? Do I need a snow blower in the winter? How is the house market? Are people friendly? how big is the asian population? What are the main outdoor activities?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Elizabeth - we are still new here - about a month now but I can still provide a bit of feedback as we are a French American family and dh was concerned about fitting in with his "Frenchness". We came from Miami, but have lived in Buenos Aires, Paris, Savannah, Connecticut, and San Antonio so we have some comparisons we can draw.
Asheville is definitely not a large city - small city at best but there are lots of things to do. I can't speak to the winter months as much because certainly big cities like NYC have a lot of indoor things to do but are not always accessible anyway. There is, however, no lack of things to do outside! In Miami we had the beach and some other kid friendly things to do but nothing like here. In the month that we've been here, we have gone to farmers markets, the Blue Ridge Parkway, nature classes at the Arboretum, The WNC Nature Center, farms, and are eagerly awaiting the LEAF festival. Our daughter is now able to enjoy trying her hand at gardening as well.
However, like I said, it's not a big city so the busyness you might like will come from tourists. We were downtown yesterday at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge having fabulous hot chocolate and then enjoying a quiet afternoon walking around but busy it was not. But then again for us, we are loving that quietness so it really is a personal thing and experiencing it for a couple of days won't really give you the best feel.
There are some good schools here and if you're interested in homeschooling that is strong as well. In addition, if local food is important to you then you'll have be in the hotseat for that.
People have been friendly for the most part. I agree with a previous poster that it depends upon the area, but overall it has been a huge improvement for us - but again it has to be compared against where you're coming from.
Housing - same thing, could be affordable or not depending upon where you're coming from. But, we've seen some very affordable places here although watch out for taxes.
We are moving to Asheville in June and I still have time to back out but need some help with this. We have been to Asheville 5 to 6 times in the last three years and we are looking at a home in Arden, the track is called Cotswalds. Anyone know this place ? My son is 17 and will graduate this June from his sch in Orange county, CA. Will he go nuts in Asheville ? He is a BMX pro and needs places to ride, do they exist ? My search for this stuff was VERY LIMITED. Gangs, drugs crime, I am a retired police officer and don't need that in my life again. How about it people. OH, Church is out of the question for us as well. Still OK to come out there ???
I drive by the Cotswalds when I take our dogs to Fletcher Park for a walk. I don't know much about it other than where it is. We live maybe three miles from there. The area is fine. You can't walk to anything (but you can just walk), but you are a short drive from Hendersonville Road both in Arden and in Fletcher.
There are gangs, drugs and crime, but all probably minor league compared to what you are used to seeing. In all likelihood, you will not come into direct contact with any of it as most is very localized.
As far as church, my pat answer is on my good days I'm an agnostic and nobody has burned any candles on my lawn yet. Church is indeed a big deal here, but not a must. If anyone has deemed me unfit because of my lack of religious affiliation they have not told me about it. But then again, most of our friends are in about the same place on that spectrum.
I can't help with the BMX pro thing or whether a 17-year-old will go nuts.
We are moving to Asheville in June and I still have time to back out but need some help with this. We have been to Asheville 5 to 6 times in the last three years and we are looking at a home in Arden, the track is called Cotswalds. Anyone know this place ? My son is 17 and will graduate this June from his sch in Orange county, CA. Will he go nuts in Asheville ? He is a BMX pro and needs places to ride, do they exist ? My search for this stuff was VERY LIMITED. Gangs, drugs crime, I am a retired police officer and don't need that in my life again. How about it people. OH, Church is out of the question for us as well. Still OK to come out there ???
There are lots of places to ride around here, so he will go nuts, but not in the way that you think! Bent Creek is not too far away from the area you are looking at. There's lots of others.
Oh, and don't worry too much about the lack of church thing. I've never found it to be a problem.
not so fast... I attended a private school for a short time and the kids were doing coke instead of pot... because they had more money in general.... there are all kinds of kids in public schools and private... not really a difference at all...
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Bent Creek is not too far away from the area you are looking at. There's lots of others.
