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If you read any of my previous posts, we live in CA but are from East TN (hubby) and VA (me), and we've been searching for a second home back east for quite a while. We've looked all over East TN and WNC, focused for a while on Waynesville but couldn't find the right thing. Last month we spent time looking in Asheville, Weaverville, and Black Mountain and found ourselves most drawn to Black Mountain. We like older houses, we like the walkable downtown, we like the pool for our kids in the summer (we'll likely spend most of every summer at our second home), and we just love the small-town feel.
So, here's my question for those in the know. Are there any areas in town that you would highly recommend or advise against? I mean, I know it's small, but we haven't spent tons of time there so we could certainly be missing something. Our focus has been mainly on houses within a few blocks of downtown but we could also look near the lake (though mostly what I've seen for sale over there is 50s style and later, and we really prefer pre-war). We're not looking for a new development or something very far outside of town.
Black Mountain is wonderful... It's the place that my husband and I started looking at first when we decided to move to North Carolina. Though we ended up deciding on another area to move to, I still enjoy visiting to walk around and shop when I get the opportunity.
While I haven't seen anything that would make me feel really uncomfortable, my recommendation would be to spend some time getting to know the area a little more to decide if you would feel comfortable living in a specific neighborhood. I know that's hard to do when you live so far away, but it's really hard to go on someone else's opinion too. If we had based our choice on what we had heard from other people, we probably won't have chosen where we live now and we absolutely love it. For us it's perfect, but everyone has different opinions...
Follow your heart! Seriously....if you find a home in a town that you absolutely love....strangers on a message board won't provide the answer to your question. I KNEW I found where I belonged because I was in contract for many months, (there were many issues w/ my 1800's farmhouse) but...NEVER ONCE did I wake up during the night and ask myself "what am I doing?" I KNEW in my heart this was my 'dream house'....6 years later...I still pinch myself...I LOVE it!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!
Thank you both--I agree with your points. We've spent several years looking all over the region, but when I was in Black Mountain, I immediately got that "this could be it!" feeling. We are planning to spend a week there next month to get even more acquainted with the town. My question was really more about whether there are "bad" or "good" areas of Black Mountain, in a way that you can't necessarily see as an outsider but locals know. If anyone has any comment on that, I'd appreciate it. Not to worry--we will make our decision based on many factors, the opinions on this board being just one of them.
The area of Flat Creek Road and out towards Ridge Crest can be questionable but in small pockets. Nearby trailer parks, etc. If you stay on Montreat Road and the "downtown" (this kind of makes me chuckle) or Church Street area you should find what you are looking for. I would just check on the rent in any neighboring "For Rent" houses. Low rent houses attract low rent tenants. I was amazed to find out after coming back from being away how prevalant hard drugs had become. Not much going on for the youth in town and Asheville is far away if you don't drive. I love the town itself. My parents used to live in a great house built in the 30's on third street.
Thanks for the additional thoughts. I'm sorry to hear that you've found hard drugs to be on the rise--would you say it's more than normal for a town of that size? What sort of data is your comment based on?
We are looking only at the "downtown" area (homes currently for sale on Church St., 1st St., W. Cotton., N. Dougherty) and are hoping that's a good choice. We're also going to look some in "downtown" Brevard on our next trip, as it has been highly recommended as well. Fingers crossed that we find our place!
Keep in mind if you live right next to downtown, in the summertime when tourists come, there will be a lot of noise, cars parked up and down street, Montreat Road becomes a real boulevard, not road. It is so much more beautiful and quiet near the lake, the east side is enviable, anywhere between the lake and Montreat Road. Plus you can walk to downtown from those areas just as easy as if you lived next to town. I recall you wanted an older type home and that you saw mostly modern types near the lake, but I recall all diff kinds. So, plez do drive over to the lake again, slowly drive or walk all up on the east side through the little neighborhoods in there, to get a feel for the differences between that area and right up next to town. Black Mountain is indeed such a small place, it's sort of hard to say that any of it is "the bad side" of town, and besides, you would know if you were comfortable in any particular area or not. Any place you get fond of, DO check flooding maps. And I think you should throw at least a half day to a realtor who knows Blk Mt, let them show you your price range just a little further out up on hills with some views, plenty of goodies close by, plus they can keep an eye out for anything east of Lake Tomahawk that comes open for the future, might be worth another trip to get in on it, as long as it met certain criteria you set. Obviously bring a great map with you as you walk and ride around, so you can note where the heck you are... it's hard to get lost, but it IS hard to remember some cute house on such-and-such street.
I live in Asheville, but I've visited Blk Mt many times, also checked out a couple homes to buy but didn't, love walking all the way around the lake, they have yearly outdoor dog shows on the outskirts of nearby Swannanoa, and the Blk Mt downtown shops are fun to shop, plus in summer just a block or so west of town proper, potters and blacksmiths do their work outside, tourists like to wander by and look. Lots of music too, I think "The Town Pump" is still open, they attract some big names, but I haven't been to anything like that in years. I almost didn't post, but when I heard the streets you were looking into, I just had to push closer to the lake.
Thanks for the additional thoughts. I'm sorry to hear that you've found hard drugs to be on the rise--would you say it's more than normal for a town of that size? What sort of data is your comment based on?
We are looking only at the "downtown" area (homes currently for sale on Church St., 1st St., W. Cotton., N. Dougherty) and are hoping that's a good choice. We're also going to look some in "downtown" Brevard on our next trip, as it has been highly recommended as well. Fingers crossed that we find our place!
Wow. Brevard or Black Mtn. Hard choice and hard to make a mistake in those two lovely towns.
They both have many pluses and few minuses IMO. I don't live there but am planning to at some point and have visted both-but Brevard much more.
Black Mountains is so adorable and I love the dog-friendly downtown and the trails up in Montreat. Brevard is beautiful with the college and wonderful access to outdoor activities.
Brevard doesn't have the great views that Black Mtn has, a bit less elevation, and more rain. Just things to think about.
Thank you both so much for adding your thoughts. So Gigimac, I think I am looking in the area you're recommending (east of the lake, between the lake and Montreat Rd.)--N. Dougherty, Church, W. Cotton all fall into that area, and 1st St. is right to the east of it. Am I interpreting you correctly? And thanks for the tip about flooding maps--I will ask about that.
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