Hendersonville, NC?? (Asheville, Jacksonville, Greenville: real estate, house, neighborhoods)

[wewantseasons]

Hi there!!
I've been reading alot about this town! My husband and I, with our 2 young children, are considering moving to this area. Everything I have read makes this seem like such a wonderful place to live!
I am curious though, is this a family-friendly town?
One of the things I keep seeing is that it's a popular retirement community, so I was just wondering what kind of life my kids would have there?
Any other advice or info is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!

[hymnsinger]

VERY family friendly! My sisters kids grew up there. It's growing though with all the issues that come with growth. All in all it's a great place to live.

[garth]

First, I've never understood this "family-friendly" thing. It's a misuse of the word that fails to describe what is really being sought. Does someone have to have children to be considered a family? NO! People without children, empty nesters and retirees are families.

With that being said, the Hendersonville area is just like any other place. They have schools, neighborhoods, downtown, country-living, children's soccar, etc. It's just a smaller city than the big city, but still too big to considered a "Mayberry."

It has it's modest areas, it's rural areas, it's expensive areas, it's newer areas, it's older areas and it's urban areas. It has its good areas and its bad areas. It has at least two high schools that I know about and it has it's influx of tourists each year. I like much about the areas and dislike some other things - just like you would.

However, if you want more organized activities for children to do near home, I would say one of the suburbs around Asheville would provide more options for them and you. It's has absolutly nothing to do with thinking that Hendersonville is any less of a place to live. It only has to to do with size. With size comes options and the ability to affiliate with what works for you or not affiliate with what doesn't work for you.

On the other hand, if what you're seeking is a small town or ruralesque life in Henderson County, you'd need to look outside Hendersonville. Places like Fletcher, Mills River, Etowah and Horseshoe come to mind. They're still in Henderson County, but at varying distances from the City of Hendersonville.

In any of those places you will find "retirees," including the suburbs around Asheville. In either place you will find tracts geared towards "families" with excess disposable income, like gated golf course communities or age-restricted developments. Just stay away from them. They most likely wouldn't meet your needs.

In any of the places you will find famlies with children. In any of the places you will find parks, recreation, forests or countryside. In any of the places you will find organized activities.

The bottom line is that the region, whether it is Henderson, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, Polk or any other county you want to consider, has been attracting retirees and second home buyers for a long time. Some have children and some don't. Often they've been attracted, not only by the beauty of the region but also the lower cost of housing compared to where they came from. You'll find old people without children all over the place - not just in Hendersonville.

That seems to be the name of the game in both A'ville and H'ville - diversity. It doesn't mean just ethnic diversity. It also means age diversity, economic diversity, lifestyle diversity, religous diversity and cultural diversity. It means providing an environment where people, or children, aren't excluded from seeing something other than mirrors of themselves. It means letting them realize that the elderly aren't something to be shunned, but something to be cherished.

So, the bottom line is that you will find "family-friendly" communities throughout the mountains and, unless you're set on urban-Hendersonville, you have all kinds of options outside of the city itself. It's just awaiting your exploration.

I wish you good luck.

[noctiluca]

Hendersonville has many things going for it - a great (if small) downtown, a couple kid-friendly businesses (a kids' museum called Hands-On, a play space with inflatables, and a rock/mineral museum come to mind), great places for hiking, nice neighborhoods, good schools, good restaurants, and reasonably convenient to Asheville if you're looking for more activities. However, I met someone from there who said he was relieved to come to Asheville because he had "forgotten that hair comes in any color other than white." So yes, it is very geared toward retirees. I also have a babysitter (in her 20s) who teaches in Hendersonville but recently moved to Asheville because there was just nothing for her to do there - she'd rather commute 30 minutes than live in Hendersonville. I suggest you visit for a while and see if it's the kind of place you feel at home.

[wewantseasons]

Thanks for all the information!
Garth- I didn't mean for it sound like we have anything against "retirees". I know you get a mix of all crowds pretty much everywhere you go. With everything I was reading about Hendersonville though, I was just curious how well a family with children would live there.
We live in a big city now, and we are just sick of it! We want a small town, where people still say "please and thank you" "yes, sir and yes, ma'am"
We will be touring the area later this month, we'll have to make sure to keep Hendersonville on the list to check out!
Thanks again

[garth]

Thanks for commenting back, wewantseasons. I know you don't mean anything about it. It's just something I see it too often when people forget that "families" come in all different flavors. I'm the one at fault for even mentioning it since it has no bearing on your question and I really did want to provide some info for you.

Anyway, I might caution you about jumping too fast too quick. Someone living in the environment of a really big city, might find a lot of romance in the idea of living in a small town or a rural setting. However, just consider that you will lose things that you might have taken for granted. I've seen it happen before, where people jump before looking thoroughly and end up regretting it.

Of course you will gain things, too. It might be worth it to you. However, you need to consider the trade-offs and if it all adds up for you and your family.

Now don't think that Henderson, or any other locale around here, is some isolated throwback to 1955, Leave it to Beaver, or even Mayberry. They're not. It doesn't exist. For example, too often I see some "residents" driving down the road with the "thump thump" radio blaring in their car and shaking the windows of every house they pass 100' feet away. Occasionally I see some tattoo'd-up person strolling the store isleways. Have you ever seen a 350# 45 year old woman with a tight tank top exposing her decades old sagging tattoos? Once in a while I see a young girl barely, if not truely, of high school age walking down the road with her baby on her hip. You wouldn't find that in 1955, Leave it to Beaver or Mayberry, but you will find it in the big city, H'ville, A'ville and any surrounding area.

Conversely, I do hear a lot more of the "sir" and "mame" being said than I was used to. I also hear a few more of the "bless you" being offered in conversation. If that's what you're seeking, it's here. There are lots of churches around to contribute to that behavior, but you could run in the same circles in any big city depending on who or what you allow into your life.

I would also offer the suggestion to spend some time away from the tourist areas and activites when you visit. Instead, check out the stuff you'll do each day. Look at the stores, go to the grocery, drive the roads you'll be driving at rush hour, check out where the doctors are located, visit the hospital, and do whatever it is that you'll be doing if you lived here. You're coming here for a different reason than a tourist, so the tourist locations and activities won't give you the perspective you need to make an educated decision. At least that's my opinion.

So, good luck and I'm sure that you'll get some other really good responses.

[wewantseasons]

Thanks again for all the advice!
We are church-going folk so that's really good to hear, as much as we try to surround ourselves with like-minded people, when you're in a city this large (Jacksonville, FL) It's hard to escape the majority of the rudeness that comes with "city life" Yes I also know that there will be rude people anywhere you go, I would just to be somewhere that rudeness is minimal, and not expected.
It's just not the kind of environment we want to raise are kids in.

We are definitely making sure we do LOTS and LOTS of research! I would prefer to be in a town that has good public schools (even the private schools here are iffy). Of course, with kids a large medical center or hospital near is important. We like eating, but we don't need anything fancy or large selections. We're pretty simple, we love the outdoors. And even though we live in a big city, there's really not much to here on a daily basis. So, I have a hard time imagining we would really be giving anything up.
Thanks again for the advice, we'll have to remember not to get wrapped in the touristy stuff

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by wewantseasons

Thanks for all the information!
Garth- I didn't mean for it sound like we have anything against "retirees". I know you get a mix of all crowds pretty much everywhere you go. With everything I was reading about Hendersonville though, I was just curious how well a family with children would live there.
We live in a big city now, and we are just sick of it! We want a small town, where people still say "please and thank you" "yes, sir and yes, ma'am"
We will be touring the area later this month, we'll have to make sure to keep Hendersonville on the list to check out!
Thanks again

WewantSeasons: Hendersonville is a thriving community. Yes, there are retirees here, there are retirees everywhere in these mountains. The schools here are noteable. Please check the local newspaper, www.blueridgenow.com and get in touch with any local real estate office for information. You can also go to: www.historichendersonville.org for information about the area. Actually, the website main page shows a family picgture It is a very popular area for families, it is very family oriented and the kids excel in the schools here. You would want to explore the counties, e.g. Henderson County and Buncombe County, also Polk County which is growing at a good clip because many large tech companies are building there. i.e. Apple Computer, Facebook, and a lot of folks work at the BMW companies down the mountain in Greenville SC. There are not a lot of jobs here, that is a given. But no matter where you decide to settle, you will definitely need that job first.

This is one of the few thriving areas with a surplus budget .... in all of Western NC. We wish you the best!

[Booya]

Originally Posted by garth

First, I've never understood this "family-friendly" thing. It's a misuse of the word that fails to describe what is really being sought. Does someone have to have children to be considered a family? NO! People without children, empty nesters and retirees are families.

I don't know I kinda get the "family friendly question"
To me when someone inquires if a town is "family friendly" they are wanting reassurance that the town is not mostly retires, vacationeers, and/or students.

I think it is a valid concern. If I had kids I would want to make sure there were plenty of children and recreation opportuniites and it wasn't geared mostly for retires. Or the neighborhoods were filled with students partying during the year but dead during the summer and breaks.

I think they are interested in community.

Does the town shut down at 8pm and the neighbors get grumpy if a ball is accidently kicked into their garden.

[wewantseasons]

Quilterchick- Thanks for the info! It was very reassuring! We are visiting soon, everyone says you really just have to get a "feel" for the small towns. We are really looking forward for the next phase in our life!

Booya- thank you for understanding my concerns!