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We have lived outside of Asheville for over 13 yrs.; and (I personally) would choose CDA over AVL in the future based on how AVL the city itself has morphed into not being so 'fabulous' anymore, (imo) -- ask any long term local how they look forward to the area 'thinning out' when seasonal residents leave for the winter.
Yes, the mountain scenery is beautiful, it is a great place to vacation; hunt, fish, hike and so forth. Outdoor activities 8 months of the year are very nice, and there are several pretty small towns 30+ miles or so outside of Asheville that haven't been highly populated yet. WNC itself is a mecca for the sports person in several towns.
Asheville now has bumper to bumper traffic, traffic lights at about every intersection, narrow two lane roads that some people will never learn to respect resulting in many accidents, serious injury and death. Drugs, crime, slovenly 'hippies', low wages, high cost of living, plenty of transients to go around; unfortunately a high percentage of homeless. Then a stark contrast with high percentage of million dollar plus homes and estates. Plenty of craft beer and breweries, almost one on every corner -- plenty of excellent restaurants; fine dining or every day dining. Most flights to destinations from the local airport require a connection, few directs; although Allegiant is king to FL. 2 hrs. to CLT for most directs. 3 hrs. to ATL.
Many people say "Asheville" when they mean basically being in the NC mountains without realizing just how vast the area is. Asheville is not a large city. Sort of like 10 lbs. of X in a 5 lb. bag.
Depends what you're looking for, what your frame of reference is, and what your expectations are -- in any area, perform your serious due diligence. Currently, WNC home sales are experiencing a feeding frenzy; even with homes that are overpriced, need a lot of work, or priced realistically -- many don't even hit the MLS, or are sold within a week or less.
I'm looking for 4 seasons, close to a body of water for swimming, mountain views, good homeschool community, lush green scenery, good nightlife and good shopping and dining.
Coeur d'Alene (CDA) is much cooler and gets just over half the rain and there is noticeably less humidity than you feel in Asheville.
CDA has an awesome lake right there, Asheville does not....however, I have to point out the water is cold to swim in.
Mountain views would go to CDA.
Lush green scenery imo is also an edge for Asheville I guess because of the evergreen firs.
Nightlife, shopping and dining I would say probably Asheville. Ashville is a rare mountain community for the eastern US but CDA is just one of hundreds in the west. I think Asheville is a more artistic community but I also saw more homeless, hippy types than I've noticed in CDA.
I'm looking for 4 seasons, close to a body of water for swimming, mountain views, good homeschool community, lush green scenery, good nightlife and good shopping and dining.
Asheville gets 4 mild to moderate seasons, Coeur D'Alene gets probably about one (summer). Coeur D'Alene is on a lake and Asheville is not. Asheville is filled with mountain views and much more scenic in that department. I don't think there's a distinct advantage to either for homeschooling. Asheville wins hands down in the green/lushness category. I would also give Asheville a substantial win in the latter three of nightlife, shopping and dining with a heavy tip toward the dining aspect, as it's restaurant scene is extensive and national caliber. My tally shows Asheville winning six out of eight. Good luck!
Asheville gets 4 mild to moderate seasons, Coeur D'Alene gets probably about one (summer). Coeur D'Alene is on a lake and Asheville is not. Asheville is filled with mountain views and much more scenic in that department. I don't think there's a distinct advantage to either for homeschooling. Asheville wins hands down in the green/lushness category. I would also give Asheville a substantial win in the latter three of nightlife, shopping and dining with a heavy tip toward the dining aspect, as it's restaurant scene is extensive and national caliber. My tally shows Asheville winning six out of eight. Good luck!
Based on the OP's criteria, I would probably go with Asheville. And as others mentioned, AVL is closer to other big cities. But it's isolated, and it's fair to include Spokane's amenities in CDA's description, which is substantial and factors into things like shopping, transportation, and even nightlife.
That said, I still agree with you about the nightlife/culture and dining advantage going to Asheville, but your comment about the physical attributes and locations cause me to ask the question: Have you ever been to Coeur D'Alene? The area definitely experiences a colder winter with more snow, but with milder temperatures than much of the interior Mountain/Pac NW. Lake CDA and the northern Idaho lakes nearby are gorgeous and the surrounding mountain ranges are amazing. Northern Idaho is an interesting area- topography connected to older ranges extending into Canada and yet also the side of the main spine of the Rockies. While not as lush undergrowth as the Appalachians, it's greener than just about anything else in the Rockies.
Overall, this is an odd comparison of cities- mostly because I think of Asheville as more of a peer to places like Flagstaff, Missoula, Santa Fe, Bozeman, Eugene, Bend and Bellingham- places that are desirable but relatively isolated smaller towns. And again, I think Asheville has the edge in this matchup (especially for the intangible things like the vibe)- and it always has a place in my heart, as I lived in Western NC for 15+ years. But I don't think it wins by as much as others have suggested, and if the OP wants a place that is slightly more affordable/less discovered and may be a sleeper for things in the future, I think CDA/Spokane could be a solid choice.
Coeur d'Alene (CDA) is much cooler and gets just over half the rain and there is noticeably less humidity than you feel in Asheville.
CDA has an awesome lake right there, Asheville does not....however, I have to point out the water is cold to swim in.
Mountain views would go to CDA.
Lush green scenery imo is also an edge for Asheville I guess because of the evergreen firs.
Nightlife, shopping and dining I would say probably Asheville. Ashville is a rare mountain community for the eastern US but CDA is just one of hundreds in the west. I think Asheville is a more artistic community but I also saw more homeless, hippy types than I've noticed in CDA.
And as others mentioned, AVL is closer to other big cities. But it's isolated, and it's fair to include Spokane's amenities in CDA's description, which is substantial and factors into things like shopping, transportation, and even nightlife.
It's really odd since just about every other city vs. city brings up nearby cities & especially since people on CD seem to really like Spokane. Other than breweries I'd imagine a city of that size should have just about anything you'd find in Asheville.
It looks like CdA is only about a degree colder than Asheville.
Asheville has more sunny days, and it has better fall color than CdA due to all the evergreens in north Idaho.
Don't know what type of degree you are getting that but in Fahrenheit, CDA is much cooler than Asheville....for example, the average high in CDA in January if 35.5F and in Ashe it's 47.4F....in July the average high in CDA is 82F and in ashe it's 84F.
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