Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Which of the two Southern Appalachian mountain towns do you prefer? Which has better scenery, surrounding areas (mountains), vibe, and activities within the towns? Both are nice places, but with different vibes. Overall, I prefer Gatlinburg. There's a lot more to do in the town, especially in Ober Gatlinburg. Also the surrounding mountains cannot be beat, especially the Tremont/Cades Cove area for hiking. Newfound Gap and Clingman's Dome are beautiful as well, plus the town is surrounded by a lot of high peaks nearby, especially Mount Le Conte. Near Asheville, the Blue Ridge Parkway around Mount Mitchell is beautiful as well.
I like both equally but they are totally different. They both have plenty to do. I think Gatlinburg is more touristy. If I had to live in one or the other, I'd chose Asheville.
Hard to compare these two places- one is an absolutely touristy little town of a couple thousand people, the other is one of the only decent-sized mountain cities in the Southeast and the anchor to a moderately sized metropolitan area of 400,000+ people.
Regardless, I'd take Asheville in a heartbeat. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is awful, in my opinion, like Branson or Myrtle Beach set in the mountains. Gatlinburg is known for cheesy amusement parks and outlet shops; Asheville is known for having great craft beer, foodie, and music scenes.
Scenery is a toss-up; Gatlinburg is closer to GSMNP but the Blue Ridge Parkway goes right through the city, providing access to the national park and places like the Black Mountains, Grandfather Mountain, and most of the NC High Country. Also, it's a straight shot to the beach (4 hours to Charleston) and a little over 2 hours to Charlotte, if you need big city amenities.
Asheville is more of an actual city where more people actual live and the economy is more typical of traditional city.
Gatlinburg is a tourist city (not trap) right next to the Great Smokey Mountains. There isn't much buildable land. It is very much wedged in the mountains. Asheville is actually built on a sizable amount of flatter lands around a river that is surrounded by mountains.
In Gatlinburg most development is actually pushed towards Pigeon Forge and Sevierville these days.
Asheville is a true mountain city with 90,000 people + approximately, and a metro area of 300k and growing.
Gatlinburg is a mountain resort town with millions of tourists, and has about 3,500 people.
Such a lopsided comparison. It's kinda like comparing Atlanta to Chattanooga.
I have fond memories of both, but this is an unfair comparison. Asheville is an actual city with universities and industries other than tourism. Asheville and North Carolina know how to do small thriving towns void of pawn shops and tobacco and beer stores in the cbd. Tennessee, not so much lol. Asheville contains interstate highways and is also close to Greenville, Charlotte, etc. which gives it the clear advantage for economic growth. Now if you had compared Chattanooga, then it would be a more fair comparison.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
