We want to move to Asheville!! Help (Charlotte, Greenville: appointed, fit in)

[debischlabach]

Hi, All!

My husband and I currently live in Akron/Canton, OH ~ about an hour south of Cleveland. It is one of the most affordable places in the country. We live on one income (I am a stay-at-home-mom), so finances are tight. We currently have a mortgage of $165,000 and live in a nice, two-story home (1750 sq. ft.) with 3 bedrooms & 2 1/2 bathrooms. Is there ANYTHING comparable in the Asheville area or surrounding areas (so that we could still reap the benefits of living in the Asheville area). We love everything about Asheville and are seriously considering relocating our family there, but we've noticed that it is a bit pricey (at least in the city). Any advice that you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Also, my husband is a mechanical engineer. I've heard that the industry in Asheville isn't the greatest. Are there any companies in the area that hire engineers? How hard would it be for my husband to find a job?

Thanks in advance!! :-)

[SciontiK]

I currently live in Greenville, SC. About an hour south of Asheville. I was born in Pittsburgh Pa. I have been to Asheville two times and I can tell you that it is a very "earthy, crunchy" atmosphere with alot of artists. It is a very hilly mountain city. I did not see alot of big industry there. In the county of Greenville, SC there is Locheed Martin (sp) and a helicopter part manufacturer called Magna. I would keep coming south to Greenville. The city is beautiful!!!! You could live in a mansion for that price of a house out here in the county. You also would have Charlotte an hour north of you and Columbia an hour south of you. And you could visit Asheville too!

[roxors]

The previous poster has a good point. I work for a huge engineering firm in Spartanburg, and we are hiring all the time. One of the 100 best companies to work for in the US, in fact. I know Greenville has some engineering firms as well.

I am currently commuting to Spartanburg from South Asheville and can make it in about 45 minutes if everything is smooth. We're moving down there in July and will be able to get a lot more home for the money than you can here in Asheville.

[cooperwx]

The OP said she wants to live in Asheville, and the first two posts try to convince her to move to Greenville/Spartanburg?? No offense, but there is a BIG difference.

That said, Under $100/sf is going to be tough to find in Buncombe county. Barnardsville, Leicester, or Swannanoa might offer options, probably manufactured housing. You could try Madison county, up to the north.

What kinds of jobs can a mechanical engineer do? I know there are some manufacturing plants in the Arden area, down around the airport, but not sure exactly what type of work you're looking for.

As far as using two visits to be able to deem an entire metro area "very 'earthy, crunchy,'" whatever that means, I don't think that's possible...

[mm34b]

Originally Posted by cooperwx

As far as using two visits to be able to deem an entire metro area "very 'earthy, crunchy,'" whatever that means, I don't think that's possible...

Yep, touring Buncombe, Madison, Haywood and Henderson counties in two visits does seem a bit much.

Asheville Metro Area Cities and Towns

Asheville
Biltmore Forest
Black Mountain
Montreat
Weaverville
Woodfin
Hot Springs
Mars Hill
Marshall
Balfour
Barker Heights
Bat Cave
East Flat Rock
Etowah
Flat Rock
Fletcher
Hendersonville
Laurel Park
Mills River
Mountain Home
Saluda
Valley Hill
Canton
Clyde
Lake Junaluska
Maggie Valley
Waynesville
West Canton

[Zooropa]

Originally Posted by debischlabach

Hi, All!

My husband and I currently live in Akron/Canton, OH ~ about an hour south of Cleveland. It is one of the most affordable places in the country. We live on one income (I am a stay-at-home-mom), so finances are tight. We currently have a mortgage of $165,000 and live in a nice, two-story home (1750 sq. ft.) with 3 bedrooms & 2 1/2 bathrooms. Is there ANYTHING comparable in the Asheville area or surrounding areas (so that we could still reap the benefits of living in the Asheville area). We love everything about Asheville and are seriously considering relocating our family there, but we've noticed that it is a bit pricey (at least in the city). Any advice that you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Also, my husband is a mechanical engineer. I've heard that the industry in Asheville isn't the greatest. Are there any companies in the area that hire engineers? How hard would it be for my husband to find a job?

Thanks in advance!! :-)

It's going to be hard to find what you are looking for pricewise here. I used to live around the Cleveland area and while I don't really want to move back, I have given it some consideration due to the low cost of housing.

[roxors]

Originally Posted by cooperwx

The OP said she wants to live in Asheville, and the first two posts try to convince her to move to Greenville/Spartanburg?? No offense, but there is a BIG difference.

That said, Under $100/sf is going to be tough to find in Buncombe county. Barnardsville, Leicester, or Swannanoa might offer options, probably manufactured housing. You could try Madison county, up to the north.

What kinds of jobs can a mechanical engineer do? I know there are some manufacturing plants in the Arden area, down around the airport, but not sure exactly what type of work you're looking for.

As far as using two visits to be able to deem an entire metro area "very 'earthy, crunchy,'" whatever that means, I don't think that's possible...

The only reasons I suggested the GSP area was the type of work her husband is looking for (few and far between in Asheville), and the prices of homes (you can't argue that one either).

[debischlabach]

Thanks for all of the replies, everyone. My husband and I are very frustrated with the realization that, unfortunately, we live in THE MOST affordable place in the country, which makes a move hard...especially to Asheville, obviously. We would probably have to give up our beautiful, comfy home and rent to be able to make it happen. I'm disappointed. As far as my husband's job...he is a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry, but wants to get out of that industry, because it's not doing so well.

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by debischlabach

Thanks for all of the replies, everyone. My husband and I are very frustrated with the realization that, unfortunately, we live in THE MOST affordable place in the country, which makes a move hard...especially to Asheville, obviously. We would probably have to give up our beautiful, comfy home and rent to be able to make it happen. I'm disappointed. As far as my husband's job...he is a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry, but wants to get out of that industry, because it's not doing so well.

There is a BMW plant in Spartenburg SC, and a number of auto related industries in the area to support the plant.

[gigimac]

Asheville is a little more expensive than many parts of the South because it is a tourist destination, the mountains and the culture of the town being the draw. You CAN find housing in your price range, but it won't be what you're used to. There are a couple engineering groups in town. And in case your husband wanted to commute to SC -- by the way, the Volvo plant is down there too -- I reckon you could look south of here and still in the mountains, like Brevard maybe, where housing can be a little more reasonable.

As you know, this website hosts many U.S. cities and their stats, like average housing costs, which I reckon would be your number one consideration, and then occupation stuff is listed, your second must-have, and THEN you can narrow down to maybe five places that fit into what you like in general. There are MANY interesting and historical and fun places to live in the South with fairly reasonable housing, job opportunities. Places that come to mind are Nashville TN, Atlanta GA, and Charleston SC. Lots of people drive up from Atlanta to vacation here over the weekends, by the way.