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I don't want to sound insensitive, but don't almost all areas change, grow smaller/larger, over time?
My dad was from a small town in NC that had thriving textile and lumber industries that employed most of the local people. In it's day, it was the shining example of the all American small town. Various reasons, caused the backbone economy to fail...people moved and now it is sadly (for me) just a ghost of the place I grew up hearing about...tree lined streets safe to walk at any hour, friendly neighbors sitting on front porches having lemonade etc....Crime has increased (due in part to decades of economic decline), many of the majestic homes on and near Main street stand empty and deteriorating....It IS heartbreaking!
In the larger cities, ie: DC I could easily have been priced out of my hometown because of the then exploding housing market! My home tripled in value in under 5 years, bringing higher taxes along with it.
I am not an Asheville native but I do remember Asheville from summers spent in small town NC.
I don't see how what is happening in Asheville is that different from what happens everywhere...except perhaps in the details.....
Exactly. Places change, they are either growing or declining. Very few places stay exactly the same over time. My whole home state of Florida has changed, with very few exceptions. My husband is from Indiana, and loss of industries has caused loss of population in some areas causing decline of thriving neighborhoods. You can look all over the United States and see the growth or decline of certain areas. All we can hope for with Asheville is that the growth will be managed responsibly, with care taken for the environment and quality of life that makes this place so special.
I see what y'all are talking about, but I guess being a native makes it harder to accept. The thing is that it hasn't been handled responsibly and has already lost the quality of life that made it special. When I was a teenager (late 80's) there were few places in Buncombe county that I didn't feel safe. Now I wouldn't be anywhere in Asheville after dark, espiecially if I were alone. It used to be a great place to raise a family but I got my kids out of there in 2002. We were in Weaverville which is still a pretty good area for the most part but unfortunatly getting more like Asheville every day. It just breaks my heart that the home of my ancestors for several generations isn't home to me anymore.
This seems pretty off-topic for this forum and also like a personal (issue?)
How is this off-topic? People in this thread were talking about a homeless problem in Asheville...I was just offering my personal experience is all.
As for it being personal, every tax paying citizen in this country should take it personally when your tax dollars are being wasted on social programs that DON'T work.
How is this off-topic? People in this thread were talking about a homeless problem in Asheville...I was just offering my personal experience is all.
As for it being personal, every tax paying citizen in this country should take it personally when your tax dollars are being wasted on social programs that DON'T work.
You are right on the mark, and it is a major drain on the taxpayers, and it only perpetuates a growth in the waste. There are professional homeless, they can actually earn (collect through begging) several hundred dollars in tax free income every day, then leach off of the teat of the taxpayer through all the wasteful programs.
Asheville is a cornucopia for the lazy that choose the occupation of being homeless, and there is a master plan to provide free housing to all homeless, and not even require that they remain sober or off drugs to qualify
Yes, all this talk about homelessness is off topic. I think the OP was looking for info on why would-be relocators are often being given the cold shoulder...
Exactly. Places change, they are either growing or declining. Very few places stay exactly the same over time. My whole home state of Florida has changed, with very few exceptions. My husband is from Indiana, and loss of industries has caused loss of population in some areas causing decline of thriving neighborhoods. You can look all over the United States and see the growth or decline of certain areas. All we can hope for with Asheville is that the growth will be managed responsibly, with care taken for the environment and quality of life that makes this place so special.
It's not so much that Asheville is changing and/or growing, it's that the growth has not been managed responsibly. It's been very much slanted towards meeting the wants and needs of high end developers at the expense of just about everyone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooperwx
Yes, all this talk about homelessness is off topic. I think the OP was looking for info on why would-be relocators are often being given the cold shoulder...
Would be relocators are often given the cold shoulder a lot in this forum. Some of it gets excessive and we shouldn't stereotype all potential newcomers to the area. That's not fair to anyone. On the other hand though, there are many many people who have moved here and/or are moving here that fit the stereotype of the wealthy Floridian snob. Like it or not, many of the people moving here have a very condescending attitude towards natives and/or anyone else who is not of the same socioeconomic status. Too many people come to this area and instead of enjoying Asheville and the rest of WNC for what it is, they move here only to try and mold it into something else with reckless abandon for the environment and/or anyone who lives below their ridgetop. (Reynolds Mountain is a great example...it will wash away from erosion if we ever get anything remotely close to Francis or Ivan again) Plus, in this town we have so many part time residents who don't vote here, (they officially reside in florida, cali, etc) yet they have so much more influence here than those of us who work our a**** off every day trying to make a decent living here. It makes me sick, and I'm not even a native. I moved down here for college and loved the area and decided to stay. I too will likely be priced out of this are over the next several years along with many long time residents. There is virtually no middle class in this town. It's becoming a city of the rich and the poor as people bring money into the area but don't bring jobs. Oh and people talk about Asheville being artsy and the Paris of the south and how great that is....haha that won't be for long, those people won't be able to afford to live here at the rate we're going. It's very multicultural here, but the area is being gentrified rapidly. Pretty soon it'll be nothing but high end planned communities and golf course resort type neighborhoods.
you asked how this was off topic for this forum. I thought I encapsulated that in the title, but here's another way to explain my view:
This is a thread about Asheville, NC, not a thread about opinions on welfare, and homelessness in the entire country. (please see your quote below where you stated (in part) "...the reason this country has an issue with homelessness...."
Just a reminder here, just about any purchase made in Asheville, NC (as in most states ) has a state sales tax attached.
So...if a homeless or underpaid panhandler uses money to purchase an item, even as small as a candy bar, that person is by definition a tax payer. Who isn't a tax payer???
As for it sounding to me like a personal issue, it is the vehemence contained in your speech that makes me suspect this is a "personal issue" for you.
Additional note: the welfare system WAS indeed set up to help (primarily women) be able to stay at home and RAISE their children if they so chose. (I have to check the exact date, but remember learning in Soc 101 that it began in response to WW2). By design, TANF (or the equivalent) was set up on the "founding principle" that there is VALUE in children being raised well by their parents. The absence of one of the parents was understood then as being a difficult hurdle to overcome, and the children often suffered for this. All of society benefits when children are raised well. Of course children can be raised well when in daycare, but why should the option of staying at home with one's children be only an option for those well off enough to decide which is best?
FYI....no one is getting rich off of the incredibly small amounts paid by TANF, or food stamps.
I am off topic here as well, but felt it might help clarify my stance. I
Quote:
Originally Posted by a2zmom
Seems to me, that part, and I want to emphasize PART, of the reason this county has an issue with homelessness and generation after generation of families living off the welfare system is that they are being given the wrong thing. They are being handed a place to live or a check every month for doing little more than giving birth to yet another illegitimate child. And yes, that is what happens...the county that we live in now is the 3rd poorest county in Florida...I see it every day. Perhaps, the government should focus less on putting money into the welfare budget and using those funds to teach these people how to make a life for themselves and their children, on their own! I have no issue whatsoever with helping out a family/individual that has truly fallen on hard times, but when it becomes their sole income year after year after year, there's something wrong with the system. That was not the government's intention when they created the welfare system.
"If you give a man a fish, he will have a single meal. If you teach him how to fish, he will eat all his life." Kwan Tzu
...On the other hand though, there are many many people who have moved here and/or are moving here that fit the stereotype of the wealthy Floridian snob. Like it or not, many of the people moving here have a very condescending attitude towards natives and/or anyone else who is not of the same socioeconomic status. Too many people come to this area and instead of enjoying Asheville and the rest of WNC for what it is, they move here only to try and mold it into something else with reckless abandon for the environment and/or anyone who lives below their ridgetop...
I am a current Floridian, "in-between" mountain homes , and I agree with you completely. We are working on moving to Asheville--but here's how: we will only buy a re-sale home, would not even consider supporting a developer by purchasing new construction. We will, as we have always done, lend our volunteer support to any group we can find that is working toward preserving the natural landscape, and also support both with volunteer hours and financial support--any entity whose goal is PLANNED GROWTH. We are realists enough to know that the population on this planet is increasing, but we also know that it is possible to avoid rampant, unplanned development; thereby saving the beauty of the mountains, the habitats of the wildlife, and the purity of the air and water. We believe this all starts with each one of us respecting where we live, and working to save it.
And we have the utmost respect for native NC residents--who know more about the importance of all of the above than anyone!!!
Kolobee, I had a big long explanation of my frustrations with welfare written, but in the end, it doesn't matter. I won't change your mind, thinking that welfare works and you DEFINITLY won't change my mind. I feel like I may have a better grasp on the situation and how the system is being abused from our former address. Maybe I'm wrong...let's agree to disagree.
I moved here @ 6 years ago and have not been happy since. My husband and I are in our early 50's and we have NO friends, other than our neighbors across the street. I have found it very difficult to meet people our age who enjoy having a beer occasionally or just getting together for dinners, etc. I miss being up north. It is beautiful here though, and I love the climate. Also, I've been looking for a job for months, with no luck. It's odd, as I have many years experience. I'm convinced it's my age.
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, and I agree with you completely. We are working on moving to Asheville--but here's how: we will only buy a re-sale home, would not even consider supporting a developer by purchasing new construction. We will, as we have always done, lend our volunteer support to any group we can find that is working toward preserving the natural landscape, and also support both with volunteer hours and financial support--any entity whose goal is PLANNED GROWTH. We are realists enough to know that the population on this planet is increasing, but we also know that it is possible to avoid rampant, unplanned development; thereby saving the beauty of the mountains, the habitats of the wildlife, and the purity of the air and water. We believe this all starts with each one of us respecting where we live, and working to save it.
