Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Dear Miss,
Oh, Asheville is very much a melting pot of all sorts of people, you will fit in fine. Now, recently there was some altercation at night where a gay person was roughed up, but that is rare. Price will be what limits you in where you live. I'll mention three places in close proximity to town.
The downtown area is so cool, murals on the old buildings, tree-lined streets, outdoor cafes, art galleries, interesting architecture, music spots. The downtown has lots of condo lofts but they can be costly. People who live in them do walk their dogs in town, but not an ideal spot.
So, if you can afford it, really try to get into Montford, nice historical neighborhood, friendly neighbors, great big old trees, wide streets and some sidewalks, right next to downtown, altho the best parts begin several blocks away from town, especially up closer to the park.
Norwood Park neighborhood, off Merrimon (a fairly busy street), is a little farther from town but has access to tennis courts and is walking distance to a couple eating places, it's about the same price range as Montford, but smaller craftsman style homes, closer together. It is separated from Montford by the bike- and pedestrian-friendly Weaver Blvd, which goes right by the UNCA campus and botanical gardens, and yet Norwood is not filled with students or anything, the way the UNCA neighborhood proper is.
GG
My partner and i own a home on a large piece of land in Burnsville....yancey county. We are both professional, conservative, republican and gay. We were warned about the suburb areas and that we wouldnt be liked there if we let anyone know we were gay....know what, we never asked anyone if they like us. We simply closed on our home and moved in our things. When the neighbors came to see who bought the place at the top of the mountain, they were all very very very nice. They have been great in fact. But if they werent, we wouldnt care. Asheville is a quaint place but needs a good police chief. I noticed immediately that we needed to be careful there. The place feels like you could get pick pocketed at any turn.....or even worse. There is a very impressive gay population there although it isnt the typical flamboyant gays that are always screaming for equality. Most of them are rather reserved and are looking for a simpler, quieter life. My partner and i havent experienced anything uncomfortable from anyone there as a result of our sexuality.
As far as the population, I feel like there are really three schools of thought that comprise most of the residents. There is a very young, hippie, broke, drop out population and then there is a very wealthy, educated, vacation home population that use the area as a place to hide from their home city. And finally, there are the natives....the vast majority of these that i have experienced have been very welcoming to us but they hate their mountains being torn down for growth. They are extremely protective of the natural environment.
The city government seems to be at a crossroads. Most of the government including police force are made up of natives who still think of the area as a small town in which they wont need guns and can all go home at dusk. They need to recruit police from Charlotte or other heavily populated areas that have a mindset of being in charge. We have actually witnessed pot smoking on the streets and the loitering that happens there would never be allowed in most cities...the police would break it up immediately. Its not uncommon to see 10-15 dreadlocked grunges hovering on the sidewalk begging for change. I think they are on the verge of losing the battle to drugs. If they dont take care of the area soon it will be overrun with drugs, garbage and overpriced art items that the residents cant afford. As word spreads about the area, people will stop traveling there for asheville charm because it simply wont be charming any longer. We live in Central Florida and use burnsville as a second home. We took my very funny younger brother there once and he said that if he ever became mayor, his first item of business would be to order a city wide BATH.....that really sums up downtown. All things considered, the landscape is absolutely beautiful there and I am happy we purchased in Burnsville....good luck to you
I'll take a PDA any day over a show of violence. Acting in an appropriate manner is just respect. I can't remember being exposed to any overt sexual displays while down town, but if I do encounter one I could easily not look. It's like changing the channel on tv or radio. No one can force me to watch or listen to Rush Limbaugh. As long as it's between consenting adults I don't see how it injures me. Just because I believe a woman should have the right to choose to have an abortion doesn't mean I'm going to force one on some one else. It just goes to show you, love is much more difficult than hate.
You'll have no problem in Asheville, and I think that West Asheville would be great, or the Charlotte Street area
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.