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You mentioned jobs...If you are coming here without a job, and need one, good luck. Again, research, look at the last bazillion posts of people asking for jobs and the locals replies. Unless of course you know how to wait tables.
Last edited by RaleighLass; 08-06-2010 at 10:48 AM..
Reason: Off-topic not allowed per TOS
Dear Robin,
I think Fairview is a peaceful, rural area for the most part, easy to get into Asheville from there, a straight shot via Hwy74. The way it works is, when you leave the I-40 Highway south of Asheville and go under the Blue Ridge Parkway, there are big hills with trees on either side of the road and there is rather a lot of traffic right there because of the various shopping and so forth, plus the high school, which I believe is recommended. Anyhow, once you get out of that first part of Hwy74, the hills kind of melt into endless flatlands, pastures, views. You can get a house either on that pasture side of the hills in the trees or out in the flatter areas. It is not far from Lake Lure, easy to get to for a day trip, lots of hiking, outdoor fun.
I personally would not want to live in Marshall, altho I have heard plenty of others say they like it a lot. You will be able to tell when you visit, so don't really listen to me. It's been so long since I've driven out that way, I cannot testify as to ease of commute to Asheville, but it's not a huge distance or anything. Leicester only has one problem with it, and that's how you gotta get into Asheville via Patton Avenue, which is a multilaned hamburger alley with lots of traffic and lights. Alexander is kind of a suburb, near Weaverville but a little closer to Asheville. Weaverville is a bonafide town, altho small and a tad worn, but there are areas close by and up in the hills and trees around it.
Hope this helps! Keep us posted on your adventures. GG
P.S. You mentioned jobs...If you are coming here without a job, and need one, good luck. Again, research, look at the last bazillion posts of people asking for jobs and the locals replies. Unless of course you know how to wait tables.
the other post was buried from awhile ago and i couldn't find it, it was older. new to the forums. then when someone else replied to it, i saw it, and wanted to reply to them for being helpful to me...after i posted again since i couldn't find the old post originally and had more towns to ask about.
Moderator cut: off topic, not allowed
i have been doing alot of research. but also have little time to decide on something since we have a new baby due in fall. speeds up the house hunting process so we can be settled. i find chatting with locals about their experiences useful. i am not concerned about the job situation. it is taken care of. we will be deciding on a house this weekend.
Last edited by RaleighLass; 08-06-2010 at 10:48 AM..
Reason: Off-topic not allowed per TOS
Dear Robin,
I think Fairview is a peaceful, rural area for the most part, easy to get into Asheville from there, a straight shot via Hwy74. The way it works is, when you leave the I-40 Highway south of Asheville and go under the Blue Ridge Parkway, there are big hills with trees on either side of the road and there is rather a lot of traffic right there because of the various shopping and so forth, plus the high school, which I believe is recommended. Anyhow, once you get out of that first part of Hwy74, the hills kind of melt into endless flatlands, pastures, views. You can get a house either on that pasture side of the hills in the trees or out in the flatter areas. It is not far from Lake Lure, easy to get to for a day trip, lots of hiking, outdoor fun.
I personally would not want to live in Marshall, altho I have heard plenty of others say they like it a lot. You will be able to tell when you visit, so don't really listen to me. It's been so long since I've driven out that way, I cannot testify as to ease of commute to Asheville, but it's not a huge distance or anything. Leicester only has one problem with it, and that's how you gotta get into Asheville via Patton Avenue, which is a multilaned hamburger alley with lots of traffic and lights. Alexander is kind of a suburb, near Weaverville but a little closer to Asheville. Weaverville is a bonafide town, altho small and a tad worn, but there are areas close by and up in the hills and trees around it.
Hope this helps! Keep us posted on your adventures. GG
thanks! driving up now, should be there in two hours to explore! appreciate your thoughts about these towns
does anyone have local info about mars hill specifically? looks like one of the hosues which may turn into our top choice is in marshall, but closest to mars hill. wondering if the town has a library, coffee shop? small book store? any good restaraunts? which grocery stores are closest to mars hill? activities for kids? thanks!
Mars Hill is a town centered around the college, which the school gives the small town a nice ambience. Yes, Mars Hill has a library, the college has a bookstore, there are several restaurants, a few fast-food spots, and a deli, plus there are a couple grocery stores and a farmer's market, a few shops, plus the usual florist, drugstore, and auto repair. For kids, there is a playground, a pool, and ballfield. And don't forget about Post #4 by Loves mountains on page one of this revised thread, she gave several links for the nearby Marshall's stuff. Hope your first choice of home works out for you!
thanks for this great info. we have a realitor we are working with. actually coming up this weekend to hopefully decide on a home to put an offer in on! very exciting. my favorite one on our list is in marshall, not too far out. i believe near the intersection of bear creek and meadow towns rd. do you know the area? the second property i relaly like is way north in marshall. wondering if it will be too far of a drive.
can you tell me anything about outdoor recreation in the area? state parks to explore? anmy swimming holes or lakes for the kids in summer? i heard zuma coffee downtown is cool...gonna try to stop in to see the downtown too.
i like the small town feel. is there a library? are there community events?
thanks for your help!
I wouldn't go more than 20 minutes out from downtown Marshall - we looked and found lots of vacant land - but way too far a drive - that said, we will still not be driving into town every day! We are 17 minutes out of town. Definitely stop by downtown Marshall - Bacchus Bistro is a new restaurant in town and is great! Of course, Zuma - Marshall's Meeting Place - The Marshall library is beautiful and has lots of activities. There are numerous activities in Marshall. French Broad Fridays, Poetry readings at the French Broad Institute of Time and the River, Farmer's Market on the island. But it's the people that make Marshall so wonderful. Marshall, North Carolina
Take the kids rafting on the French Broad if they are old enough - it's really fun. Or hike the Laurel River Trail - lots of swimming holes along the way. The town of Hot Springs is nice - it's on the Appalachian Trail and the Lover's Leap Trail is nice for kids - not too hard. Eat at the Iron Horse Station in Hot Springs - delish!
I just bought a lot near Black Mountain in Laurel Ridge. City water, underground power, DSL. Will need to have a septic system. I looked for 2 years before I found the lot I was looking for. Well water can be ok - most of the county is likely on well water but inquire with the neighbors for the depth of their wells and perhaps ask for a water samples and have it tested before buying. Generally the higher up the mountains you go, the deeper the well will be. Wells can be tricky and expensive - my agent said one of his clients drilled a 1000 foot well and only got 2 gal/min - not enough and expensive at $10/foot to drill. One reason why I looked for city or community water.
Another criteria I used was the nearness of the grocery store since that is likely the place you will drive to most often - Google maps can be your friend here - you can do searches like "grocery stores near fairview, nc". In your case, look for schools since you have kids.
Do your research - Buncombe county has a very good set of information online. I used the GIS system to locate the lot I was interested in. You can look at contours to get an idea of steepness, the aerial photos of the area to see what's around that you might not want to look at. Also on the GIS they have "SINMAP" which gives a relative idea of the stability of the lot to potential landsliding - you don't want your house to slide out from under you. And with that is another option that gives potential slide paths so check that your lot isn't going to be covered from a lot above. You can also find out about the owners, assessed value, and also find lots that aren't for sale that the owners might want to sell anyway. There is also an option to get the average slope of the lot - be wary of anything over about 35% - building costs go way up and slide risks increase (though some lots have flatter areas that are ok to build on - use SINMAP). If you're planning on staying in the valleys this won't matter much to you, but the aerial photos might be helpful.
You can also download sales info from them too and get an idea of what's been sold recently (various criteria are available) and for what price so you can get an idea if the asking prices is reasonable. Foreclosures might be a good way to get a better house too.
If you're going to build, once you find a lot, make sure that it has a septic permit - if not and you're really interested - get one yourself. The cost is $385 plus some potential clearing and pits that might have to be dug (maybe another 1000-1500). In my case I found that the main area can be a cheaper 10" LDP ($7K or so) but the repair area was going have to be a drip system at a cost of $20-30K if it ever needs to be used and that allowed me to get the price down another 20K to cover that. The cost of getting the permit yourself is cheap if it tells you that the lot is going have a very expensive septic system on it, it's worth the money. The septic folks told me of one lot that the owners didn't get the permit before buying and now they will have to have a drip system for both main and repair areas and may influence the location and size of the house they can have, if they can actually build.
I looked in Fairview area and liked the area in general. But when I visited I noticed a fair amount of air traffic over head. For some that won't be an issue but I don't want to hear the planes coming out of AVL airport. If you're an indoor person, it won't be an issue, but I don't want to sit on my porch, enjoying the weather and have to contend with the airplane noise. Don't get me wrong - it's not like sitting at the end of a runway, but I noticed it several times. Your mileage might vary on this.
Also consider snow issues - if it snows are you going to be snowbound until is melts? Laurel Ridge plows the roads so that shouldn't be an issue but there are two sides in Laurel Ridge - the South facing side tends to melt the snow faster but I've heard several people comment that on the north facing side that the ice tends to stick around and can be a hassle. One couple living on the north side said they frequently had to park at the bottom of their driveway and walk up due to ice on the driveway.
If you're buying you might want to consider a "buyer's agent". They represent you as a buyer and generally don't sell properties themselves so you tend to get more unbiased opinion on the properties. A real estate agent is selling properties and has a vested interest in selling the properties they have listed since they don't have to share their commission with anyone else. I know I'll get flamed for this.
I've lived in Fairview my entire life and I don't recall ever noticing the planes being a problem. I hardly ever see/hear them. And I mean that. I can probably count the number of times I actually notice any air traffic above my house in a year, on one hand. It's incredibly rare that they ever pass over my house...
Mars Hill is a serene and scenic Town. It is convenient to highway 26 going straight in to Weaverville and Asheville. We have to relocate to help family elsewhere. We adore Mars Hill. People are very kind and genuine. local shopping is a mile down main street from our place. I am going to miss this Town very much.
I live inside The Town limits of Mars Hill which is why I am so convenient to shopping and Highway Etc.. I hope you get to visit here soon and enjoy the scenery and all that WNC has to offer. There is lots of it.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 03-18-2011 at 10:00 AM..
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