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What are some places (preferably in the southeast-ish part of the country) that are, for lack of a better term, "Asheville-esque"? I love a lot of things about Asheville, but the job market is not one of them, and it may be just a little too "cool" for me...Meaning a little too trendy, ect...Everyone and their Grandma are moving to Asheville.
Asheville has so many great things going for it, great energy, food scene, community...Where else has this special feeling Asheville has?
Here are a few areas in the southeast that come to mind. In North Carolina, Chapel Hill is a good one because of the college town vibe that isn't too dissimilar from what you'd find in Asheville. There are even some areas in Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem that are a bit like Asheville. Athens, Georgia is similar to Asheville, along with Decatur, a quirky city to the east of Atlanta. In Virginia, Charlottesville is a good one.
Here are a few areas in the southeast that come to mind. In North Carolina, Chapel Hill is a good one because of the college town vibe that isn't too dissimilar from what you'd find in Asheville. There are even some areas in Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem that are a bit like Asheville. Athens, Georgia is similar to Asheville, along with Decatur, a quirky city to the east of Atlanta. In Virginia, Charlottesville is a good one.
Excellent list, I agree. I have been plotting a similar move to something Asheville-esque and used to live in the Triangle area 15-20 years ago. I would add Carrboro NC (neighbors Chapel Hill and Durham) which is very Asheville-like and has a fairly strong economy/job market. Winston Salem NC would be a very strong pick in my opinion too as it has a more liberal-arty vibe and a bit of industrial grit as well, not to mention a low cost of living. Another option that has the mountain environment of Asheville along with the crunchy granola/liberal vibe is Boone NC which is a college town (Appalachian State University) and outside of Asheville the only heavily "Blue" area in the western part of the state. An afterthought but would also add Chattanooga TN which is growing in a fashion similar to Asheville in terms of resident demographic.
If you want a strong job market you could live in Greenville SC and visit Asheville on weekends. The culture seems to be very business friendly with a side order of religious.
Knoxville has a great food and entertainment scene but the overall culture is not nearly as crunchy as Asheville. Decent job market and COL. The culture is predominately blue collar/ middle class football fan with a side order of hipsters, garnished with a few intellectuals.
Definitely not trendy if that's what you want to avoid.
Last edited by creeksitter; 06-10-2014 at 07:03 AM..
I agree, Carrboro is even more like Asheville than Chapel Hill! Very artsy and liberal. Your description of Winston-Salem is accurate, and you can probably say the same about Greensboro to a lesser extent. Tate Street in Greensboro comes to mind. Durham is in the same league as Winston-Salem, both old tobacco towns that have a liberal artsy-vibe with industrial grit as well, like you said ^. Also, both are similar in size with prestigious universities (Duke in Durham, Wake Forest in Winston) but now I'm getting a bit off topic. Boone is kind of like a smaller Asheville, and you're right! Asheville and Boone are practically the only liberal areas in western NC! The main reason for Boone's case is App State, of course. I'm not as familiar with Tennessee to be honest, but Knoxville might be similar to Asheville. It's a college town (University of TN) in the mountains, and isn't too terribly far from Asheville. Knoxville is as bit bigger, though.
I've visited Athens, and it is very UGA oriented. Perhaps overwhelmingly so during football season. Boone is intriguing, but to be honest the elevation scares me off a bit. I've heard Chattanooga called "the next Asheville"...We shall see. Chatt is much grittier.
I've visited Athens, and it is very UGA oriented. Perhaps overwhelmingly so during football season. Boone is intriguing, but to be honest the elevation scares me off a bit. I've heard Chattanooga called "the next Asheville"...We shall see. Chatt is much grittier.
If you're scared off by Athens being too football oriented during football season, Boone may put you off as well. App State is a much smaller team than UGA, in terms of average attendance, etc, but Boone is a much smaller town than Athens. So it's 30k fans rather than 90k, but in a town that usually holds 15k instead of 100k. There's no getting around the football crowd.
But when you think about it, that impacts a grand total of 5-6 weekends in either town. Those are great weeks to go camping, visit friends, or take a trip out of town if football crowds aren't your thing.
I'm not as familiar with Tennessee to be honest, but Knoxville might be similar to Asheville. It's a college town (University of TN) in the mountains, and isn't too terribly far from Asheville. Knoxville is as bit bigger, though.
Sadly it's not as I discovered. It's more like Raleigh in feel than Asheville. Chattanooga however was a pleasant surprise as it is rather similar to Winston Salem in my opinion in terms of type of growth over the past decade or so.
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