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I'm looking for a place where people are generally warm and friendly, outdoor activities like hunting and fishing are an integrated part of the culture, political hostilities are minimal and crime is low (particularly drug related crime in rural areas I might spend time camping, hunting, etc). I'm looking for a relatively low population area, but where there are still enough people I wouldn't feel completely out of place (somewhere in the range of 4k-30k). Northeast Tennessee is high on my list in part due to the favorable tax climate in TN. However, coming from SW Idaho, my concerns are the Summer humidity in this region would be too offputting, and the winters would not have quite as much snow as I would prefer. It seems like W. NC would be more suitable to the type of climate I'm looking for, and the hunting and fishing opportunities seem similar.
But, I have some questions about the people and culture in North Carolina and the Western part of the state in particular:
How "Southern" is Western North Carolina from a cultural perspective? Are people in this region warm and welcoming? Do people make an effort to befriend their neighbors? Is firearm ownership openly disapproved? Lots of family-oriented festivities? Acceptance of religious and traditional moral values?
I understand things will be a little bit different in the tourist centers like Boone. But even then I would like to know, how friendly are people in Boone? How significantly does politics inform the way people treat eachother? Are drivers respectful on the roads?
How different culturally is W. North Carolina from the rest of the state?
I split time between Madison County (about ten minutes to Weaverville) and northeast TN, where I currently live. I also work for a local government entity, so kind of "in the know" there as well.
Most of the counties in WNC (aside from Buncombe/Watauga) are Republican, but it feels much less in your face than Tennessee. Most of the locals born and raised here that I know are Republican. Most of the newcomers to northeast TN are doing so because of the politics - people seem to be relocating to WNC for a variety of reasons - politics doesn't seem to be at the top of the list. To be frank, many of the people relocating to northeast TN are even to the right of the local natives, who are already very conservative. I've probably voted 2:1 Republican in my life, but I'm finding the politics where I'm from becoming so extreme that the area is becoming borderline unstable.
The city of Asheville is fairly "woke." Buncombe County, outside of Asheville, is Democratic, but not extreme IMO.
People think of northeast TN as "the mountains," but most of the decent sized cities are below 2000', and almost everything is below 2500'. There is actually very little land above that elevation because virtually all of the higher elevation land is state park, national forest, or otherwise protected. The towns at 2000'+ are tiny, and have basically no amenities beyond a Dollar General and maybe a very small grocery store, like IGA or RediMart.
If you want higher elevation and lower humidity, WNC is going to be a much better option. There are parts of Virginia that are about 2500'+ that would provide more relief from heat and humidity than TN.
There is plenty of good river/stream fishing in WNC, but it's lacking in lakes compared to Northeast TN. Lake James and Lake Lure are nice, but they aren't close to South Holston, Watauga, or Norris Lakes.
Asheville feels Southern. Many transplants, of course, are not, but it's still Southern, though not to the degree most surrounding counties are.
Property crime and drugs are huge issues in northeast TN. It's hard to overstate how bad it is, and the issues are generally worse in rural areas, and the farther west you go. Avoid Kingsport, Hawkins, and Hancock counties entirely. Bristol is a nice small city, but again, the issues with drugs and homeless are getting worse. Johnson City is really the only bit of "nice" in the area. Carter, Johnson, and Unicoi counties are more mountainous and rural, but crime is not as bad as Kingsport and counties west of it.
Nowhere is drug and crime free, but WNC is much better off in this regard than TN.
Generally, I find WNC much friendlier than northeast TN. Yes, there is superficial friendliness in northeast TN, but many of the locals have been here for years, and social circles are fairly closed with people they've known for years. I'm 37, from the area, but moved off in my 20s before moving back, and it's been extremely hard to make friends, especially since I'm not religious and don't care for church.
I would move to WNC if you can afford it. Yes, it's more expensive and has higher taxes, but it's just a much nicer place to live overall.
......Would you say Elk Banner fits in with these?
In some respects that's true but primarily I'm looking for somewhere where partisan politics is mostly avoided in day-to-day life.
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Banner Elk in Avery County could be just what you are looking for in terms of weather. It is cooler in summer and has enough snow for ski resorts to function.
In terms of avoiding partisan politics, I think that is within your control. You can avoid people who are rabidly political, and firmly stay away from discussions. Where I live in ENC, it is the case that we avoid politics when talking among friends. We can still be warm despite differences of opinion.
I like the Town of Banner Elk web site as a start to research. However, good homes are going to be expensive, eg over $450,000. (BTW, Serious Conversation gives a great summary re: Eastern TN vs Western NC. I wish I could rep them again.)
goldenage1 summed it up pretty well, also SC.... thanks to both of them for being spot on in their assessments.
I have mentioned this before, but once again, remember Banner Elk, center is in the 3700 to 3750 elevation range, although there are Banner elk addresses (outside the town limits) in the 5000 foot range. Over the past 20+ years of visiting and living in WNC, I have noticed a general warming trend. I suggest people searching for seasonal housing (2nd homes) should be narrowing their search to over 4500 feet of elevation. People looking to live full time might be wise to find a home with A/C and be fine with less elevation. It is a pricey area unless you are lucky enough to find a fixer upper and don't mind earning that sweat equity.
There are websites where you can get voting statistics as a clue to liberal attitudes. Black Mountain and Weaverville within Buncombe County lean to Democrats.
Hendersonville which has many transplants was strongly Republican in the last election. Obviously most of Western NC also leans Republican.
I live near Hendersonville - it is not STRONGLY Republican. There are more registered Republicans here and during the last election, it did go Republican. Overall, it is fairly balanced politically with slightly more Republicans. To say it is strongly Republican is not accurate. We have so many seasonal residents, it’s hard to know exactly, as these folks are not counted in the election stats, and trust me, there are multitudes of these folks in this area. I have many friends who are part-year residents who vote in FL, and they are all Democracts. As you move away from Hendersonville into the more rural areas, then it becomes strongly Republican.
I split time between Madison County (about ten minutes to Weaverville) and northeast TN, where I currently live. I also work for a local government entity, so kind of "in the know" there as well.
Most of the counties in WNC (aside from Buncombe/Watauga) are Republican, but it feels much less in your face than Tennessee. Most of the locals born and raised here that I know are Republican. Most of the newcomers to northeast TN are doing so because of the politics - people seem to be relocating to WNC for a variety of reasons - politics doesn't seem to be at the top of the list. To be frank, many of the people relocating to northeast TN are even to the right of the local natives, who are already very conservative. I've probably voted 2:1 Republican in my life, but I'm finding the politics where I'm from becoming so extreme that the area is becoming borderline unstable.
The city of Asheville is fairly "woke." Buncombe County, outside of Asheville, is Democratic, but not extreme IMO.
People think of northeast TN as "the mountains," but most of the decent sized cities are below 2000', and almost everything is below 2500'. There is actually very little land above that elevation because virtually all of the higher elevation land is state park, national forest, or otherwise protected. The towns at 2000'+ are tiny, and have basically no amenities beyond a Dollar General and maybe a very small grocery store, like IGA or RediMart.
If you want higher elevation and lower humidity, WNC is going to be a much better option. There are parts of Virginia that are about 2500'+ that would provide more relief from heat and humidity than TN.
There is plenty of good river/stream fishing in WNC, but it's lacking in lakes compared to Northeast TN. Lake James and Lake Lure are nice, but they aren't close to South Holston, Watauga, or Norris Lakes.
Asheville feels Southern. Many transplants, of course, are not, but it's still Southern, though not to the degree most surrounding counties are.
Property crime and drugs are huge issues in northeast TN. It's hard to overstate how bad it is, and the issues are generally worse in rural areas, and the farther west you go. Avoid Kingsport, Hawkins, and Hancock counties entirely. Bristol is a nice small city, but again, the issues with drugs and homeless are getting worse. Johnson City is really the only bit of "nice" in the area. Carter, Johnson, and Unicoi counties are more mountainous and rural, but crime is not as bad as Kingsport and counties west of it.
Nowhere is drug and crime free, but WNC is much better off in this regard than TN.
Generally, I find WNC much friendlier than northeast TN. Yes, there is superficial friendliness in northeast TN, but many of the locals have been here for years, and social circles are fairly closed with people they've known for years. I'm 37, from the area, but moved off in my 20s before moving back, and it's been extremely hard to make friends, especially since I'm not religious and don't care for church.
I would move to WNC if you can afford it. Yes, it's more expensive and has higher taxes, but it's just a much nicer place to live overall.
I guess we all have different ideas of what feels southern, but Asheville doesn’t feel southern to me. It feels quirky. Places like Jackson, MS, Hattiesburg, MS, Dothan, AL, etc., feel southern. When I have to hunt for good southern, comfort food restaurants and people with a southern drawl, it ain’t southern.
I guess we all have different ideas of what feels southern, but Asheville doesn’t feel southern to me. It feels quirky. Places like Jackson, MS, Hattiesburg, MS, Dothan, AL, etc., feel southern. When I have to hunt for good southern, comfort food restaurants and people with a southern drawl, it ain’t southern.
Lots of local natives with the thick accent use Asheville as a service city. They might live in neighboring counties - tons of people I know, even government employees for Asheville who are local natives - don't like the way Asheville is now. Personally, I think many of the homeless/tourist type complaints are overblown, and that many of the natives take for granted the amenities around Asheville that somewhere that is just "local yokel" won't have.
If you are going to trendy restaurants/bars/breweries/museums, etc., in the city, it won't necessarily feel southern because many are attracting tourists. I like many of them, but you wouldn't believe the amount of locals I know who absolutely hate going downtown.
No, it's not going to feel like AL/MS, but NC as a whole won't either. NC is a much more urban and cosmopolitan state than AL/MS.
Lots of local natives with the thick accent use Asheville as a service city. They might live in neighboring counties - tons of people I know, even government employees for Asheville who are local natives - don't like the way Asheville is now. Personally, I think many of the homeless/tourist type complaints are overblown, and that many of the natives take for granted the amenities around Asheville that somewhere that is just "local yokel" won't have.
If you are going to trendy restaurants/bars/breweries/museums, etc., in the city, it won't necessarily feel southern because many are attracting tourists. I like many of them, but you wouldn't believe the amount of locals I know who absolutely hate going downtown.
No, it's not going to feel like AL/MS, but NC as a whole won't either. NC is a much more urban and cosmopolitan state than AL/MS.
I do miss the small town country buffets (chicken n dumplings, country ham, fried chicken, fresh turnip greens, local black-eyed peas, rutabagas, mustard greens, turkey and dressing, butter beans, local squash, sweet potatoes, fried okra, peach cobbler, homemade pound cake). If you know of a restaurant in the Asheville area that has such food/buffet, please let me know. Charleston is also touristy, but offers more choices in traditional southern cuisine.
I do miss the small town country buffets (chicken n dumplings, country ham, fried chicken, fresh turnip greens, local black-eyed peas, rutabagas, mustard greens, turkey and dressing, butter beans, local squash, sweet potatoes, fried okra, peach cobbler, homemade pound cake). If you know of a restaurant in the Asheville area that has such food/buffet, please let me know. Charleston is also touristy, but offers more choices in traditional southern cuisine.
I like the Town of Banner Elk web site as a start to research. However, good homes are going to be expensive, eg over $450,000. (BTW, Serious Conversation gives a great summary re: Eastern TN vs Western NC. I wish I could rep them again.)
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I would move to WNC if you can afford it. Yes, it's more expensive and has higher taxes, but it's just a much nicer place to live overall.
Ah I did not realize the cost of living was that much higher in Banner Elk, that's moving towards Idaho prices. It looks like some of the other towns mentioned are a bit cheaper, hopefully that is the case. Also, it appears the tax burden in North Carolina is lower than Idaho, even if higher than Tennessee. I was hoping I would be able to buy a reasonable place on a few acres for under $400k.
Definitely not interested in buying a seasonal home and am willing to put up with some humidity in the Summer if it means getting some of the other things I want.
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