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Us- family of 6- 4 kids 1 in High school,1 middle, 2 elementary. I'm an artisan who sells at craft shows and festivals, husband is a Construction Superintendent. Now a carpenter, remodeler, contractor etc.
What we are looking for:
Somewhere in Western North Carolina..NOT ASHEVILLE>>>please..maybe something outside
* An area where we can purchase a mini farm (5acreas) or more. With a budget of say 230k and down. Outside of a town that has a tourist draw. For me to sell my goodies.
*Good school system, safe
* Good community college with a nursing program
* Shopping opportunities within 20 miles or less.
We don't want to be completely "out in the boonies", we are willing to drive into town for groceries, restaurants,movies etc. We love the small town atmosphere, quaint shops, pubs etc. That is what I mean by a tourist area.
I am familiar with Hendersonville, and Brevard, but not areas OUTSIDE of them we could maybe purchase a mini farm.? Weaverville?
I guess I am trying to figure out which town up and down the state (in the western part) is where we can find what we have on our list.
Ok, hope you can help, we have been on here for 14 years looking and looking...well not just in NC, in TN too , and then areas north like MO, MN, WI and Iowa.
But I am always drawn to WNC!! Its the waterfalls, transplants, mountains and waterways.
I am thinking maybe our budget is too small for the area, which is why we haven't found anything. I am aware of the low paying jobs too, which totally is unfortunate, but I'm thinking with the tourists,( for me)and retirees, needing help, home projects etc. we should both be able to make a living.
Thanks in advance
I recommend doing some reading of previous Threads on this forum, using Search This Forum: plug in a place name(s) of a town and you will find threads of posts on nearly every area in western NC...some of those threads have good opins and info on your needs and wants.
For any of us to simply rec'd a town is purely anecdotal. Sort of like asking 'what car should I buy and what options'.
There are many areas outside of Asheville that might fill in some of your list, though that $230G budget is low, and will preclude much land or it will be a 'in bad repair' old farmhouse or house.
Based on your posting history it appears you are looking in many parts of the US; some of us will resist doing term papers of info for casual shoppers if that translates.
Construction is still cooking here in western NC, but pay will be substantially less than what your husband is used to, imo.
Arts & Crafts are a ubiquitous avocation here in western NC, but local galleries take 40-60%, and art/crafts have to be low priced for the casual tourist shopper. That combo equals not much for the artisan after gallery commish and low selling prices.
Shopping, undefined, is everywhere and even many of the smaller/small towns have a big box store(s) or one is in the next town over.
Blowing Rock is known for its crafty downtown (and traffic, because of it), but the poster above me describes exactly why it is hard to make a good living in this manner, especially with no ties to the area or contacts.
thanks for your opinion...motordavid, although rather unfriendly. I have searched the entire area for years read MANY if not ALL threads. Just thought someone would have a spot I hadn't thought about in regards to the community college and property costs. I didn't ask for your advice regarding our job prospects..simply a suggestion as where to look based on our list. I actually make a rather nice living selling at craft shows and festivals all over my current state. I don't do galleries...just for that reason. With all the retirees flocking to the area both a degree in Nursing and a handyman type Im thinking would have lots of work.
Don't worry yourself on the "term paper info" wow...its always interesting to me when I read through the threads how people like yourself are on here, but get annoyed when someone inquires about and area and asks the same type of questions that have been asked before. Maybe they don't want to spend the time or don't have the time to review all the past posts. Why respond at all to just tell someone to go look elsewhere? Give me a break...
Blowing Rock is known for its crafty downtown (and traffic, because of it), but the poster above me describes exactly why it is hard to make a good living in this manner, especially with no ties to the area or contacts.
Thank you for your suggestion...I have looked into BLowing Rock, but am thinking it may be too pricey for the property.
Thank you for your suggestion...I have looked into BLowing Rock, but am thinking it may be too pricey for the property.
Yes, Blowing Rock is too pricey, and IMO, it's not really all that "crafty." Despite the presence of several Art In The Park shows throughout the summer, those shows have been declining in quality and artist participation in recent years. If you are considering the northwestern corner of the state, I would recommend that you look at Ashe County. It used to have a lot of dairy farms, and a mini-farm might be do-able, though I do agree you'll might have to resort to a fixer-upper in order to get the acreage on your budget.
In between the High Country and Asheville are Spruce Pine, Bakersville, and Burnsville. With internationally renowned Penland Scool of Craft, the area has a significant concentration of highly skilled craftsmen and artists. Mayland Community College has a nursing program, and in general, is one of the top community colleges in NC.
As for community colleges in WNC that offer nursing programs:
Additionally., there are several branches of the UNC system that offer nursing, as well as Lees McRae College in Banner Elk.
With all deference to MotorDavid, I think what he was really suggesting is, once you have zeroed in on a few specific locations, we'd all be happy to provide opinions. Oh boy, do we ever like to give our opinions! It's sometimes difficult to give good relevant specific advice when the query is broad-based.
Look into Yancey or Mitchell Counties (we live in Yancey).
For arts there's the Toe River Arts Council and the Penland school.
Burnsville hosts an annual crafts fair (Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair) that has a large regional draw.
We've had kids in public elementary, middle, and high schools. These are good, safe, and supportive schools with tons of community involvement. I'm pretty sure that Mayland Community College has a nursing program.
With your husband's skill set, I'd think you could find something that needed some work / updating in your price range.
That's pretty much what we did.
Don't worry yourself on the "term paper info" wow...its always interesting to me when I read through the threads how people like yourself are on here, but get annoyed when someone inquires about and area and asks the same type of questions that have been asked before.
But that's just it. Why ask the same questions that have already been asked... over and over and over. Why hope that someone will take the time to answer the repeated question yet again when the question has already been answered... over and over and over.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kbug3
Maybe they don't want to spend the time or don't have the time to review all the past posts. Why respond at all to just tell someone to go look elsewhere? Give me a break...
So you don't want to take the time to review the past posts, yet you get annoyed when someone who has already given a lot of time to answer many questions on here, suggests to read past posts. You think it is okay to ask for an answer to a question that has already been asked and answered dozens of times just because you don't want to take the time to look through previous answers? Sounds like you feel entitled.
Kbug3.......think you took mD's post the wrong way. He usually gives good solid honest advice/opinions in no way meant to be unfriendly. Most of us have been in WNC awhile and while not wanting to rain on anyone's parade we know how tough it can be to make it here so rarely sugar coat. We wish you good luck in your search this is a great place hope you can make it work for your family. Farther out from Asheville is cheaper, maybe Hot Springs area or even consider Tri-cities in Tn?
I always feel as if I'm an outcast because there is just one city-data forum for WNC and it mainly covers Asheville and Hendersonville. Since WNC covers a vast area, I understand why it's difficult for someone to recommend any one town. Murphy is as different from Franklin as Franklin is from Hendersonville and there are many towns in-between.
I'm not near Asheville, but Franklin has a quaint downtown area and there's enough shopping, although limited. (there's always the internet!) Southwestern Community College has a nursing program. There are areas surrounding the city, but still in Macon County, where you can buy unrestricted land for a reasonable price. Cowee Valley and Burningtown are areas with land for sale. However, I'm not sure if you can make a living around here. Life always has its compromises, i.e., Waynesville has more to offer, but it's a little more expensive.
IMO, it's best to look at real estate/land listings in each town, focus on one area and then start searching for threads on those areas as suggested in another post. Good luck in your search!
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It's sometimes difficult to give good relevant specific advice when the query is broad-based.
