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I prefer the same, Lizap! The dry climate here definitely takes its toll. Greenery, trees, moisture....those are all things I'm eagerly anticipating. It will be easier to leave the beauty of Boulder if we know we are headed for another scenic masterpiece. Thanks for affirming what I am hoping to find!
Mind you this was filmed during winter season and you might not imagine how green it will be in another week or two on the high mountains. It is already very green down in valley. https://www.facebook.com/JohnsonCoun...=page_internal
Oh, and i forgot to mention that we are big library fans, so do most of these towns have them? 2020 was not a good year for libraries, but I will miss the Boulder library system.
In NC, the entire state is your library. Getting a library card also comes with an account for online access. You can search for books state-wide. If a book you want is not carried in your local branch but in a different branch, you can request it to be transferred to your local branch for pickup.
In addition, the system includes access to its digital library where you can 'borrow' books on your kindle or other device. You can take a look at that here:
I'd imagine other states work the same way but just letting you know that is available here as well.
Also, you mentioned 'Greenery, trees ...', that describes any of the areas you are looking at. Mountains and scenery for days. I still marvel at it every time I leave the house. Take your time ... what you seek is around here somewhere. Best wishes for your search.
I prefer the same, Lizap! The dry climate here definitely takes its toll. Greenery, trees, moisture....those are all things I'm eagerly anticipating. It will be easier to leave the beauty of Boulder if we know we are headed for another scenic masterpiece. Thanks for affirming what I am hoping to find!
I have lived in Denver and Boulder, and very familiar with Niwot. I currently live in the Triangle area. I have no idea about WNC library system, but the public library here in Durham/Chapel Hill is great. The only issue, there are ton of smart people, so you may have to wait to get popular books a bit, there is always on waitlist. There are lots of great bookstores too. In Denver I lived close to Tattered Cover -- nothing like that here, but of course, it's one of the iconic book stores, but lots of small intimate bookstores here. Pre-Covid they did lots of book readings, etc. too. I would not be surprised if Asheville has the same culture when it comes to libraries and books.
As for the scenery, yes, WNC is lush and green. They look blue and purplish in certain light (Blue Ridge Parkway - no wonder!). Gorgeous, really! You won't see beetle kill here. There is also no "above tree line" So you breathe without any problems even at the highest level. The beauty of it is kinda soft and calming, as opposed to grandiose and overwhelming like Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, RMNP. One thing that would be different is that mountains here are for everyone -- they are still affordable so you see all kind of different people. Colorado mountains due to affordability are usually the places for second homes, ski resorts, etc. So many parts of it are kinda touristy. Here there are lots of touristy places too, but you may end up in a town that's kinda just town -- and sometime they are depressed. I am not saying it as a good or bad thing, just stating it as a difference.
If you are in Niwot, you are in Boulder Valley school district, right? That might be hard to replicate here though. Public schools aren't funded that well, unless you live somewhere like Chapel Hill.
Oh, I am going to be in Asheville at the end of May, btw. Let me know if you'd like me to check anything out. I am checking to see if I want a mountain home somewhere there. So this is pleasure + scouting tour for me. I personally will be looking at Jefferson/West Jefferson areas, if I really decide to get something, it's close to get to from Durham and still cool in summer and pretty. Plus I really like the New River around there.
Last edited by HatchChile; 05-07-2021 at 07:59 AM..
Hello all you helpful folk,
I wanted to give an update. Last week my husband and I did a whirlwind of venturing around WNC. We drove west from Charlotte and managed to hit ten towns thanks to everyone's recommendations. We stayed in Hendersonville for a night and then Asheville for two nights. While we liked the Hendersonville downtown, the area in general felt too congested for our liking. It was hard to get a feel for the satellite neighborhoods around there as it's basically a 50 mph highway going through dense forest with hidden neighborhoods. Liked it, but couldn't see ourselves there. We proceeded to check out Saluda, Flat Rock, Mills River, Brevard, Waynesville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Boone, and Blowing Rock. We didn't do much from Asheville besides eat and drive to satellite towns and then out to Boone, which was an interesting drive to say the least. Our two contenders after the trip are Black Mountain (LOVE) and Boone. When we drove into Black Mountain and parked at the Visitor center, we looked at each other and said, "this feels like Colorado twenty years ago." We loved everything we saw. We also liked Boone/Blowing Rock a lot, but we think being closer to Asheville will be nice as newcomers to the area. We will see where the housing search takes us.
QUESTION: Anyone familiar with hiking in Black Mountain? I'm assuming there are trails that can be accessed from town or near homes, but I unfortunately got the grouchy person at the visitor center who kept repeating that "we are in a valley, and it's private conference land that surrounds us." She did not elaborate on how or where the closest hike started. Trailhead? Yep, didn't get far there. It actually felt like an SNL skit. Anyway, everyone else was lovely and I'm hoping if I can find a few hikes, then I could look for a rental option for our family.
Thanks for all of your input!! It's been super valuable to me.
Cheers!
I think the conference area she was talking about was probably Montreat (Presbyterian retreat). It does have some trails off it I believe, but I defer to the others on that as that is not my area of expertise.
In Boone the trails you can access from town are the Boone Greenway, Boone United, Howard's Knob, App State Nature Trails. We do the Greenway a lot. Howard's Knob will give you a view over town.
In Blowing Rock the trails you can access from town are the Glen Burney waterfalls trail and Bass Lake and the Moses Cone network of trails. Oh and also the Thunderhole trail. The Glen Burney falls are right in the middle of town behind the park.
We also like Rich Mountain which is the backside of Moses Cone accessed off Shull's Mill. I think it's tied with the Greenway and Bass Lake for which on we do most. If grandma is with us it's gotta be the Greenway or Bass Lake. Rich Mountain is the closest to our house, but you do have to drive to it from our place. You can also access the Mountains to the Sea trail from near there so you could walk all the way to the coast!
Hello all you helpful folk,
I wanted to give an update. Last week my husband and I did a whirlwind of venturing around WNC. We drove west from Charlotte and managed to hit ten towns thanks to everyone's recommendations. We stayed in Hendersonville for a night and then Asheville for two nights. While we liked the Hendersonville downtown, the area in general felt too congested for our liking. It was hard to get a feel for the satellite neighborhoods around there as it's basically a 50 mph highway going through dense forest with hidden neighborhoods. Liked it, but couldn't see ourselves there. We proceeded to check out Saluda, Flat Rock, Mills River, Brevard, Waynesville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Boone, and Blowing Rock. We didn't do much from Asheville besides eat and drive to satellite towns and then out to Boone, which was an interesting drive to say the least. Our two contenders after the trip are Black Mountain (LOVE) and Boone. When we drove into Black Mountain and parked at the Visitor center, we looked at each other and said, "this feels like Colorado twenty years ago." We loved everything we saw. We also liked Boone/Blowing Rock a lot, but we think being closer to Asheville will be nice as newcomers to the area. We will see where the housing search takes us.
QUESTION: Anyone familiar with hiking in Black Mountain? I'm assuming there are trails that can be accessed from town or near homes, but I unfortunately got the grouchy person at the visitor center who kept repeating that "we are in a valley, and it's private conference land that surrounds us." She did not elaborate on how or where the closest hike started. Trailhead? Yep, didn't get far there. It actually felt like an SNL skit. Anyway, everyone else was lovely and I'm hoping if I can find a few hikes, then I could look for a rental option for our family.
Thanks for all of your input!! It's been super valuable to me.
Cheers!
I figured Hendersonville/Flat Rock might be a little too large for your liking. Interestingly Boone and Hendersonville are roughly the same size, but Hendersonville has a larger feel, given its proximity to south Asheville. I'm not surprised you liked Black Mountain. It's a cute little town. I'm a little surprised Brevard didn't make your top 2. It is one of WNC's quintessential small mountain towns. Waynesville, somewhat like Black Mountain, is in a more mountainous area, and is a tad larger.
I find all the " town "on your visit list to be to touristy or busier than we wanted as a long term home but I guess why we picked Yancey county to live in 24 years ago . Close enough to asheville and weaverville for more of the big box store needs but still have the majority of what we need locally in Burnsville with less of a crowd except for one weekend a year .
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So you breathe without any problems even at the highest level. The beauty of it is kinda soft and calming, as opposed to grandiose and overwhelming like Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, RMNP. One thing that would be different is that mountains here are for everyone -- they are still affordable so you see all kind of different people. Colorado mountains due to affordability are usually the places for second homes, ski resorts, etc. So many parts of it are kinda touristy. Here there are lots of touristy places too, but you may end up in a town that's kinda just town -- and sometime they are depressed. I am not saying it as a good or bad thing, just stating it as a difference. 
