Disappointed in Asheville... (Marshall: mover, hotel, place to live)

[heididawg]

You hit the nail on the head regarding Asheville and I am moving my children out of this city just as fast as I can. Hopefully, this summer we will be driving 22 hours from here. Not only are the schools here horrible Buncombe/Asheville schools will be the most radical in NC soon thanks to Susan Fisher.

Originally Posted by oneluckymug

I haven't read through the entire thread but have read a good portion of the posts. Some very interesting ones. I currently am living in Asheville and have accepted a job here strictly for the money, as it is not a place I want to raise my children. After pulling in enough money to pay off my students loans the next 5ish years, I am going to move back home to the midwest. I will move before my kids are in kindergarten, as the schools here are horrible. I love diversity, but not just for diversities sake. Rednecks, extremists, and over 20% of the population at or below the poverty level. Wow, sounds like a wonderful city A place where all views are welcomed, as long as the views are liberal. A place that's very friendly, so long as you don't talk to anyone. A city which thrives on and is proud of the individuality of it's restaurants and business, which just had 2 super walmarts put in. There is hardly a middle class here, which is the polpulation that typically drives any successful town. While it is true there is not a lot of violent crime in Asheville, there is a lot of crime. The residents make next to nothing as far as salary, but the homes are overpriced thanks to the Floridians and New Englanders which have moved here. The public schools are average at best. It takes forever to travel short distances in the area, the food is average and overpriced, and when I do go into the downtown eateries, especially on a weekend night in the summer, it smells like butt crack because of the hippie wannabes who don't shower and have grease running off their hair.

The town I am planning on moving to back to in the midwest may not be sexy or 'diverse', but it's a great place to raise a family. The public schools are top notch with about 95% of high school graduates going on to college. The crime rate is 1/8 the national average. I guess the people are bland because the majority are educated and professional. When I lived there before I left my car running with my wallet in the front seat overnight....and it was there for me in the morning, nice and toasty. There are so many better places to live I cannot fathom how this dumpy town of Asheville keeps cracking the top places in the country to live.

But hey, If you want a place with so much 'diversity' that trailor trash republicans and smelly hippie wannabe extremist liberals can dance around together and clutter up your streets (along with the homeless from the 3 HOMELESS SHELTERS IN A SMALL TOWN!!!!)...hey...Asheville may be your dream destinaiton. Just remember to bring a nose plug.

[Kootr]

Originally Posted by oneluckymug

I haven't read through the entire thread but have read a good portion of the posts. Some very interesting ones. I currently am living in Asheville and have accepted a job here strictly for the money, as it is not a place I want to raise my children. After pulling in enough money to pay off my students loans the next 5ish years, I am going to move back home to the midwest. I will move before my kids are in kindergarten, as the schools here are horrible. I love diversity, but not just for diversities sake. Rednecks, extremists, and over 20% of the population at or below the poverty level. Wow, sounds like a wonderful city A place where all views are welcomed, as long as the views are liberal. A place that's very friendly, so long as you don't talk to anyone. A city which thrives on and is proud of the individuality of it's restaurants and business, which just had 2 super walmarts put in. There is hardly a middle class here, which is the polpulation that typically drives any successful town. While it is true there is not a lot of violent crime in Asheville, there is a lot of crime. The residents make next to nothing as far as salary, but the homes are overpriced thanks to the Floridians and New Englanders which have moved here. The public schools are average at best. It takes forever to travel short distances in the area, the food is average and overpriced, and when I do go into the downtown eateries, especially on a weekend night in the summer, it smells like butt crack because of the hippie wannabes who don't shower and have grease running off their hair.

The town I am planning on moving to back to in the midwest may not be sexy or 'diverse', but it's a great place to raise a family. The public schools are top notch with about 95% of high school graduates going on to college. The crime rate is 1/8 the national average. I guess the people are bland because the majority are educated and professional. When I lived there before I left my car running with my wallet in the front seat overnight....and it was there for me in the morning, nice and toasty. There are so many better places to live I cannot fathom how this dumpy town of Asheville keeps cracking the top places in the country to live.

But hey, If you want a place with so much 'diversity' that trailor trash republicans and smelly hippie wannabe extremist liberals can dance around together and clutter up your streets (along with the homeless from the 3 HOMELESS SHELTERS IN A SMALL TOWN!!!!)...hey...Asheville may be your dream destinaiton. Just remember to bring a nose plug.

Originally Posted by heididawg

You hit the nail on the head regarding Asheville and I am moving my children out of this city just as fast as I can. Hopefully, this summer we will be driving 22 hours from here. Not only are the schools here horrible Buncombe/Asheville schools will be the most radical in NC soon thanks to Susan Fisher.

It's hard to believe more people can't see it!

[Allandi]

Asheville is a place for rich retirees who don't need jobs, and poor service workers who serve them. So there is no center except perhaps for nurses, who are mostly liberal. However naming Susan Fisher is rediculous because she has no say over local school especially relative to the state because she is not a local official. Any influence Fisher has over local schools she has over all the other schools as well because she is a state Rep. Fisher NEVER had any influence over county schools. She was once an Asheville committee member but there is nothing she did that can't be ondone tomorrow by the current Asheville school committe. Do you even know who they are? Your complaints may be legitimate, at least once you define "radical", but place it where it is due. If Asheville/Buncombe schools are worse than other NC schools then that is the fault of local officials, not state ones.
I think that's Allison Jordan appointed by Mayor Terry Bellamy.
I just ran for Buncombe School board and lost, did you? and if you did not provide a challenge, which only costs $5, then why are you bothering to complain?
What's more, why should Ashevillians want to spend their taxes educating your kids anyway?

[cityrover]

Last year i went there for a vacation and technically i was only there at night. Day time i went up to banner elk and booner.

It was the first city i didn't feel safe in. I got yelled at by drunks loitering around my hotel (big chain, not a dump little local motel either) for starters

I mean i will visit again but i would not live there. Now that i have adjusted my expectations, i think i will pack again this year. It is supposed to snow

[H. Creasman]

I just want everyone to know that Asheville has its pluses and minuses, just like anywhere else. I live just outside of Asheville and love it because when I want to get away and see beauty in nature, all I have to do is jump in my car, and I can ride the parkway and stop and look out at the beautiful mountains around me. In fall, the leaves are beautiful, and in winter, we get some snow, and in spring and summer, the wildflowers are everywhere. The smell of the grass is magnificent. Right now I am sitting in my home listening to a hoot owl. I know I can drive to Cherokee in just a short time and gamble or see the sites, or go to Gatlinburg to the aquarium or outlets, or if I want I can be in SC in just a hour. It is not far to the Nantahala River where rafting is wonderful and close to the Davidson River where I can fly fish or hike. I can ride over to Old Fort and listen to mountain music played by ordinary people once a week, and it is for free. I can go to Hendersonville and hear young adults play in an orchestra, or I can go to classes at the University of NC- Asheville campus and take senior classes at a low rate or go to Flat Rock and see plays and visit Carl Sandburg's home... My mother in law can come home and tell me that the Rev. Billy Graham held the door for her when she went to the eye doctor. I have learned to make brooms, baskets, and candles from craftsman all around this area. Downtown does not represent Asheville fairly. I personally don't go downtown often and you will see New Age people who have those dredlocks and look like they are filthy. You see poverty and you see richness just like anywhere else. I have as yet to encounter anyone who made me afraid to go downtown. I just chose not to as I hate parking. I know there are places here that will help you when you are down and out. I had to get medicine free once. There are wonderful Goodwill stores for people to buy things if their income is too small. I have to admit that jobs here do not pay as well, but there is one out there. My grandson who lives with me and goes to UNCA has a part time job with a company that pays him $15 an hour, bought him boots, a computer, and help pay his school loan. I like Asheville because it is like a town was 20 years ago. People are friendly. It is like the saying "If a bell doesn't ring, ring it, if a song doesn't sing, sing it, ..you have to take the first step sometimes. I was born in the central part of SC. My husband was born in Asheville. I lived in Aiken, SC, visited my aunt in Florida, been to Texas, to Virginia, and other places, but Asheville is my home. The doctors here are top knotch with Memorial Mission ranking in the top 100 hospitals in the nation. There are so many places to eat here and nearby that offer all kinds of food from Germany, India, China, Korea, Mexico, France, and good old American foods. I can go to festivals like the Greek festival where they dance traditional dances, serve traditional foods, or to folk singing on the green. The beautiful estate of Biltmore is here, a little costly for me, but I check their sights and find specials. You can taste many different kinds of wines that Biltmore offers. The estate has several restuarants and to see it at Christmas and in the early spring just takes your breath away with the beautiful decorations and flowers. There are free vegetables available for lower incomes, and lots of help sources that will advise you where to go to get help if you need it. Nearby is the arboritorium with paths you can walk. A beautiful park is being developed along the Broad River and is almost complete and offers many opportunities for walking. There are beggars here which gives you an opportunity to show your kindness by helping out with a quarter or dime or dollars and walk away knowing that you have done a good deed. They don't get run off, but get advice on how to help themselves. and some physical materials to help them out. Asheville and Hendersonville has many Mexicans who find work in the apple industry or in restuarants and other industries. It is a wonderful place for older folks, with assisted livings like Deerpark. A fun park for children is just off Interstate 26 going toward Old Fort. Many quaint little shops in Black Mountain to browse with many bed and breakfast places like the Red Rocker where I guarantee you can get a wonderful breakfast, and Waynesville isn't far away with its shops and good foods. You ride for about 35 minutes and see Elk, turkeys, deer, and many other animals, definitely opposums and raccoons. I love to see the groundhogs who sit up and watch you with their keen eyes. And there are the bears...who are trying to live with man and often come down from their mountains to climb a tree and have people oogle them. There is a zoo on the Swannanoa River. A museum in Old Fort is waiting for you to see how mountain folk lived in the mountains and a place where you can see a geyser (man made, but amazing.) A rock museum just off the Parkway will show you stones found in these mountains. You can go to Georgia in a couple of hours and see some of the purest gold in history. Diversity, diversity. Ethnic celebrations abound. The Agricultural Center hold rodeos, horse sales, motorcross races, dog agility trials, and a huge fair. If you desire a massage or acupunture or Tai Chi, it's here. Many exercise clubs are available and therapy centers. Women hold high postions, as well as men. In fact, my doctor is a woman who belongs to Doctors without Borders. When my husband died, I had four of his doctors call me to see how I was doing, and two called twice. I didn't know doctors would take the time to that anymore. One of them said if he ever could help me, let him know and he meant it. My regular m.d. called me four times and offered any help they could give me. The pet shops sponsor "Find a Home" for pets that have been abandoned. I could go on and on, but I am sure you get the picture now. I despise to hear someone make a negative comment about my town. If they don't like it here, it is because they came here wanting Asheville to cater to them. To make a place where you live become a place that you love, you have to give some of yourself to it. If you are unable to do that, then don't move here, we don't want you. But if you do want to be happy, Asheville is just as good as anywhere else and we would welcome you. Now you decide.

[Zooropa]

Nice post....couldn't help but notice the $15/hr part time job though. That's more than many full time jobs in this area pay.

[Cofga]

You need to learn how to break your posts up into paragraphs. It's impossible to read this stuff when posted in one long monotonous stream like this.

[gottogetfishing]

As some on who intends on moving to Black Mountain in the next couple of years, I find these comments very interesting and helpful. Thank you all. For the record, I've beento Asheville and its surrounding areas many times over the past three years forboth business and pleasure. I've never felt unsafe, I've never been approached by a vagrant. I attended Belle Cher last year and thought it was great. Could there be any better snapshot example of what Asheville is about than that? Still, I've not lived there, and probably chose Black Mountain because it's outside the perimeter of Asheville but withing easy striking distance. I, for one, look forward to the outdoor activites available. I do, however, wish the area would start concentrating on attracting some strong businesses to give some spine to the economic future.

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by gottogetfishing

I attended Belle Cher last year and thought it was great. Could there be any better snapshot example of what Asheville is about than that?

Bell Chere is as much representative of Asheville as Disney World represents what Orlando is about, except that it really brings home the point that this is primarily a tourism economy, which is great for the owners of the hotels, but pays squat for the people that work there. It is just over 2 days out of 365, and most of the people you saw were not locals, but tourists, kinda like Disney World. Some local vendors, many out of state street hawkers. A number of local downtown businesses, just close and stay home as the only thing selling is food, beer, and trinkets made in China.

It is also a drain on Asheville taxpayers, and has lost money every one of it 25-30 year run, taxpayer dollars that is.

I suspect that the company that really makes a killing during Bele Chere are the predatory towing wreckers that prowl downtown 24/7.

[Zooropa]

I love Bele Chere and try to make sure I don't miss it, though I can see how it would put a damper on some downtown businesses.