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Status:
"Mistress of finance and foods."
(set 16 days ago)
Location: Coastal Georgia
49,999 posts, read 63,313,910 times
Reputation: 92486
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We just visited relatives who have a house hanging off the side of
Reynolds Mountain. The view was absolutely magnificent AND we actually saw a bear cross the road by their house. You Ashevillians are so lucky to have those mountains to look at every day. Awesome.
Yes we are fortunate to have the mountains, and cursed with the greed that is destroying them.
For the other 99% of the people, Reynolds Mtn is an ugly monument to greed and arrogance, as that view from the top creates an ugly scar on the landscape.
The bears are crossing the roads, raiding trash, getting killed by cars because of developments like Reynolds Mtn, as they are being displaced by this type of greedy development.
Reynolds Mtn, and similar developments "I got my view, and I really don't care how ugly it looks from down there where the rest of you live"
I'm perplexed by the hatred of those who buy homes with a view. There is more protected land (and views) around here than in any place in the East. In my opinion, those who say that the Asheville area is overdeveloped have blinders on to the rest of the country.
Asheville is the only metropolitan area I know where you are treated to multiple unspoiled mountain views every time you drive down the highway. What we have to remember is that Asheville is a metropolitan area, not a rural outpost. People live in metropolitan areas partly for everyday conveniences, work, and to enjoy the benefits of their hard work. One great benefit that one can take advantage of in this area is a nice mountain view. If you want unspolied mountaintop views for as far as the eye can see, there are plenty of places to go in WNC. Just don't expect many (or any) of the conveniences and educational opportunities that the Asheville area provides. It's your choice.
I'm perplexed by the hatred of those who buy homes with a view. There is more protected land (and views) around here than in any place in the East. In my opinion, those who say that the Asheville area is overdeveloped have blinders on to the rest of the country.
And what will your stance be in 10 or 20 years, when every mountain has the scars of greed and arrogance as the self appointed elitists try to build the biggest, ugliest McMansion of the biggest scar on a mountain side.
It's not just Asheville. Every year when we visit the Waynesville area, we feel sad at how much more the mountainsides are looking somewhat like Levittown on a slope. Seven more years to retirement for me; wonder what it will be like then. May have to change our plans and move to Kentucky
And what will your stance be in 10 or 20 years, when every mountain has the scars of greed and arrogance as the self appointed elitists try to build the biggest, ugliest McMansion of the biggest scar on a mountain side.
First of all, with the housing market and economy the way it is, it should be several years until we see any more significant 'damage' to the mountaintops. But second, and most importantly, if there are not at least a few more scarred mountains in the next 20 years, I think that would be a very BAD sign for Asheville. It would mean that the tax money from the 'elite' would no longer be coming in, and that big, well-paying employers were nowhere to be found. From what I understand, the Asheville mountains were almost completely pristine and untouched only 25 years ago. I also understand that the A'ville economy was on the verge of collapse, the town was mostly closed down and delapidated, and many people were living in hopeless poverty with rampant unemployment. I for one don't want to make that tradeoff.
We have to realize that as much as we enjoy the beauty around us, for many people living around that beauty would not be possible or enjoyable without the conveniences that Asheville provides. That's why you can take a tour of absolutely gorgeous, sparsely populated mountain towns all throughout WNC, Northern Georgia, and Eastern Tennessee. If we could have the conveniences and opportunities of Asheville with surrounding mountains that looked like Hayesville, of course we would do it. But that's completely unrealistic in a growing metropolitan area, something most of us working folks want Asheville to continue to be. What is realistic is what the Asheville area has already taken care of for us on a massive scale: set aside large tracts of undeveloped land for public use. I can't think of an area east of the Rockies that has succeeded so magnificently in allowing an area to grow so much economically while preserving so much of the area's beauty on a permanent basis.
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