Tryon or Hendersonville for Young Family? (Charlotte, Asheville: crime rates, how much, to buy)

[charlottePA]

My wife and I are currently living in Charlotte. We're mid 30s and with a young child (1 year). We're tired of the traffic and hustle-bustle of Charlotte and have been looking elsewhere.

I'm a Phy. Asst. (PA) and there's a job open at a small hospital in Polk County (good thing about healthcare--there's always jobs!). I've heard Tryon is nice, but I've also heard good things about Hendersonville too...we have friends that are from there.

My concern about Tryon is it is TOO much of an "old" town. We're used to 30 minute commutes here in Charlotte. Could I work there and live in Hendersonville or elsewhere??

Does anyone have any insight as to what town is better for a younger family? Asheville is out, we don't want to live there.

[cooperwx]

To me it comes down to how much you want your lifestyle to slow down. Tryon is very small (1750 residents, according to this very site), and mainly rural. Hendersonville is a larger town with subdivisions, several four-lane roads and many retirees. It's growing fairly rapidly.

[charlottePA]

Originally Posted by cooperwx

To me it comes down to how much you want your lifestyle to slow down. Tryon is very small (1750 residents, according to this very site), and mainly rural. Hendersonville is a larger town with subdivisions, several four-lane roads and many retirees. It's growing fairly rapidly.

Very true. We'd want something for the kid--scouts, schools, friends, etc. etc.

Would it be unreasonable to live up towards H'ville and commute? Is the "family" part of H'ville on the north or south side?

[cooperwx]

A coworker of mine lives west of Hendersonville, along Crab Creek Rd. His wife commuted from there to her job at Polk County HS. She carpooled with another teacher who lived in Hendersonville. Google says its about a half hour's drive between the two towns, but to me the big physical barrier (Saluda grade) makes it feel longer.

The most popular family area in Henderson county right now seems to be Fletcher and Mills River, north of Hendersonville.

[charlottePA]

Originally Posted by cooperwx

A coworker of mine lives west of Hendersonville, along Crab Creek Rd. His wife commuted from there to her job at Polk County HS. She carpooled with another teacher who lived in Hendersonville. Google says its about a half hour's drive between the two towns, but to me the big physical barrier (Saluda grade) makes it feel longer.

The most popular family area in Henderson county right now seems to be Fletcher and Mills River, north of Hendersonville.

And Fletcher is even a farther drive to Tryon....

I guess what I've always heard is that Tryon is "resort rural" and more village in nature, versus say just "in the middle of nowhere"...

[cooperwx]

There are a couple of posters here that live in Tryon/Polk County. Perhaps they will pop in to help you get a better feel for their area.

I totally sympathize with your commute situation in Charlotte. I once made the choice to buy in Salisbury when I worked in the UNCC area. It was a main factor in my eventually leaving the area. And I hear I-85 is only getting worse, as expected.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

I'm assuming you mean St. Luke's Hospital since that's the only hospital in the county? (lol)

St. Luke's is in Columbus and about half of a mile from I-26, so it's easy to get to if you're commuting from elsewhere.

Here is a Google Map of some other hospitals in the area.

The commute would be painless, although with the price of gas any commuting is hard to endure. Traffic is light unless there is a wreck. And since the interstate is through mountainous terrain those wrecks will often involve trucks and take a looooong time to clean up. I drive 15 miles from the valley northwest of Tryon to the East Flat Rock/Upward Rd. area (the first half on twisty, curvy U.S. Hwy. 176) and it takes around twenty minutes, depending on how many traffic laws you violate in the process. It would also depend on what side of Hendersonville you live.

I'm sure the transition would be huge. Polk County has yet to break 20,000 people and is rural. Henderson County, on the other hand, has five times the population, having just surpassed 100,000. Close to a quarter of the population here is over 65 years of age. Anywhere you go - grocery stores, restaurants, etc. - is a sea of gray (hair).

Despite the droves of retirees, the schools are excellent. Tryon Elementary has been an Honor School of Excellence for nine years straight. They're working on number ten.

From my own personal experience of growing up in the area, the younger children don't have a problem growing up here. I was in Scouts, played t-ball and basketball and all of the usual things elementary school age children do. They have summer enrichment programs and camps now that keep them entertained during the summer. Usually when the teen years come along is when everything becomes "boring." There is no theater or mall for the kids to be dropped off at unless you want to drive half an hour.

You might want to consider looking at Saluda. Even though it's smaller than Tryon (500-600 pop.) you're half-way between Hendersonville and Columbus/Tryon and they also have a good elementary school. That way it's not too far to get to your job at the hospital and not far to get all your amenities in Hendersonville.

Charlotte isn't too far away. Take a day or weekend trip and see for yourself what the pros and cons of each area are.

[IntoTheMystic]

Either one is a good choice and the commute would be manageable.

[tkhk3746]

Hi.

I live "down the mountain" a bit...in the foothills.

DEFINITELY choose Hendersonville. Tryon is "old". A young family would appreciate Hendersonville much better.

Also close to Asheville and South Carolina for other activities.

[jalan]

I will respond from a position of the Mayor of Tryon. I moved here in 1979 for one year and then was going to move on. I am still here, still in education and now i am the Mayor of Tryon.
It is true that we have a generally older population than say Hendersonville; however, we have some things that H'ville does not.
We were listed in the top 1300 schools in the entire USA in the survey a few months ago. We were at the bronze status. We have less crime per capita than most and kids can play outsede safely.
Amenities include a fine arts center; art galleries; a movie theater; Harmon Field, a 50 acre park that includes an open air gym, a walking trail, soccer fields, Tryon Arts and Crafts center, a putting green, a river in the edge of it, a log cabin rental, softball/baseball fields, and a B-B-Que Festival in June that draws 25,000 people; art galleries; Roger's Park, a small amphi-theater for concerts (a summer concert series); Super Saturday, a full day of art and performances for children in April; several smaller parks; our HS band is going to play at the olympics this summer, and the county also has a recreation program during the summer. What we do not have is traffic jams, high crime rates, and a plethora of other negative things that are found in larger municipalities.
J Alan Peoples
Mayor: Tryon, NC