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My wife and I are considering moving our family from Western Michigan to Asheville. We are also considering Nashville and Charlotte as two other options. At first Asheville was low on our list because it was such a small, out-of-the-way town, but as we have checked out the opportunity and the area we are really starting to like it. Frankly one of our concerns about moving south is getting too "deep south" (any Northerner or Midwesterner will know what I mean by that). Asheville, however, seems to provide a great balance--possessing all the benefits of the south (warm climate, friendly/hospitable people, Christian/family-values-friendly culture) without some of the perceived negatives (extreme heat/humidity, lack of cultural activities, ultra-conservatism/intolerance).
Anyways, we have taken a tour with a realtor and are kind of confused. It seems hard to get a handle on what is available (albeit that may be because our realtor is incompetent--we're still trying to decide). As far as location goes, my wife is a physician and we would need to be within reasonable proximity of Mission Hospitals. I am a management consultant and travel every week, so all I need is an airport. We have three kids, a daughter who will be entering high school in September, a daughter entering middle school, and a son entering second grade. Here are my questions, if anyone can be helpful:
- What neighborhoods should we be considering? We are looking for a newer home in a friendly suburban area. We prefer a decent-sized lot and 3000 to 4500 square feet. We would prefer not to spend over $500K. Is this even possible in the Asheville area or is it a pipe-dream? (Prices of houses there were a little scary to us when we went on our tour, especially compared to around here and around Nashville where you could easily find a house like that for around $300 to $400K, often with acreage).
- What about the schools? Our kids currently attend a parent-run charter school and we are considering private school after we move. Does anyone know about Asheville Christian Academy in Swannanoa? What is that area like? If we wanted to send our kids there would that be an area to look at for houses? Are there other schools we should be considering?
- Similar question about churches? What are some of the larger, more progressive, outreach-oriented community churches in the area, particularly ones with active youth programs?
- I'm concerned about the size of the airport. It is quite small considering the size of the region. I'm guessing I will have to drive in and out of Charlotte from time to time in order to get where I have to go. Does anyone have experience in regular business travel in and out of the Asheville Airport? I fly weekly so this is an important consideration. They seem to have a regular schedule of flights in and out of Charlotte and Atlanta, which should get me pretty much anywhere I need to go, as long as the flights are consistently on-time and not frequently cancelled. Consistency is important. Anyone having experience with this who could give me some input and advice would be helpful.
This is a great forum with some great information. I've been enjoying reading it. Hopefully I can get some help with these specific questions as well.
Looked in a lot of places - originally from Chicago but have lived in the Northeast for 20 years. It will be hard to find a home in the 3500 sq ft range for $500K but it is possible. Asheville itself is a somewhat unusual place - reminds me of Portland Oregon. Youth oriented, left leaning. More crime than it should have for its size - that's why it fell off the 'Best Places to Live' list. Great Weather compared to the midwest. Asheville property taxes and state taxes are not a bargain. TN has no state income tax. Knoxville area is a decent alternative. Slightly better airport than Asheville.
Asheville airport is easy but most flights are connections through Atlanta or Charlotte. Greenville Spartanburg Airport is a little better and if you live south of Asheville its an easy 45 minutes drive. Its also easier to get to Charlotte if you are south of Asheville.
I'd also recommend Greenville, SC - its an up and coming city with a teaching Hospital system. Greenville housing would be a little cheaper also. It would also be around 10 degrees warmer there. If your politics aren't on the left side - Greenville might be an alternative. Greenville is also more diverse than Asheville. My instincts say that the public schools in both cities stink, but I don't have kids in the system. As to the 'old south' - I find both cities to be heavily infiltrated by people from other parts of the country. One big difference between Greenville and Asheville - Greenville is more polite. Greenville also has a thriving Main Street area.
The Asheville airport is woefully understaffed, and under perpetual construction. It's a mess. Just spent a wasted six hours there on Wednesday when my son's flight was delayed, and then cancelled. Waited over an hour to get his luggage, and that was after we rebooked. Very understaffed.
Greenville/Spartanburg might not be a bad alternative, bigger airport, lower cost of living. I currently commute from S. Asheville to Spartanburg daily (will be moving once school is out), takes me about 50 minutes.
I wouldn't blame the problems associated with flying in and out of Asheville with staffing on the ground. The problem is the airlines don't have the traffic here to warrant flights to anywhere but Charlotte, Atlanta, and a few other hubs, and typically on smaller jets and turboprop aircraft. This in turn dictates the staffing levels. People also save money by driving to Greenville or Charlotte, as low traffic also dictated higher fares.
Years ago we used to say you can't go to hell from Asheville without going through Atlanta first. Basically still the same, except airlines have created more hubs such as Charlotte, Cincinnati, etc.
the flight wasn't cancelled due to staffing, it was cancelled because of maintenance issues. But taking an hour to get luggage off a plane which was only carrying 20 passengers is an airline staffing problem. They admitted to it.
We avoid the Asheville airport since we cannot fly direct from Chicago - instead we fly direct to Knoxville - (in an hour and fifteen minutes) and drive over the mountains through Hot Springs and down 25/70 into Marshall - it's about an hour and a half from Knoxville - Probably won't work for everyone but since we are in Madison County it's great. The times we have flown in to Asheville (via Cincinnati was the best) we have not experienced any delays and marvel at how wonderful small airports are - because we have O'Hare and all its largesse.
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