Asheville NC, the good, the bad, and the ugly (Princeton: homes, neighborhoods)

[5stones]

considering Ashville for our move. Had ealitives that lived in Hendersonville and have visited. We currently live in DC commute area and looking for anyplace to get out!

Jcat,
have you moved alot? Because getting your drivers license in most states require that you have a bill with YOUR name on it. Here in VA you have to have proff of legal existence in the US. yes, social security card, plus photo id and a bill with proff of residence. PA is easier. With all the problems in the US getting a driver license SHOULD be difficult since most places use that as a primary source of ID. Unlike overseas where your passport is your primary source of ID.

TAXES... they get you one way or the other. Here we have vehicle tax every year as well. It based on the value of your car. (a luxury tax of sorts) our cars are 10 years old and tax runs about 110 per year. so yes if you have $800 tax bill on your car you must drive a nice one! CA has big car taxes as well. PA has many small townships so we were taxed out the wazoo... 3 income taxes (fed, state and local) 2 property taxes (county and local)

Drugs...sorry folks they are everywhere in every school and every walk of life. Yes the rich private school kids do drugs as well. Big schools and small country schools. 1980's in rual VA the kids where I went to school were growing pot on DAddy farm...manue makes good fertilizer. late 1980's moved to Houston Tx. In my highschool where the kids drove BMW etc... cocaine was very easily found. PA 2000...raising 3 girls in an affluent area south of Pittsburg...small township community (the bubble NO crime) kids are getting herion and the parents are turing a blind eye...not here etc... Underage drinking is a big problem with parents having "lock in " parties where the kids all spend the night.

So every place has it's problems you just have to go in with open eyes and list your pro's and con's and see what best suits you. Raise your children and teach them well..you are the defense against any outside negitive influences. There is NO UTOPIA.


so other area we are looking at....
Tampa area
Colorado springs, CO
Dallas, Tx
Knoxville TN

and... Prauge CH. any advise???

[LauraC]

After thinking about moving to Asheville for almost a year, I visited and left with a bad impression.

In my opinion, it's way overcrowded, poorly zoned business/residential if there are any zoning laws at all. There's too much traffic. Parking is a joke. It's waaaaay pretentious. I walked away with the impression that people do things there so they feel good about themselves and/or because it "looks good" to others as opposed to doing it "for" others. It's all about "look at me" and "doing your own thing." You'd be hard pressed to find someone who has lived there all of their life...all year long. You've got old people there still trying to find themselves. The places is infested with tourists and snowbirds adding to the road congestion, parking problems and price gouging.

But here's what I tell people. If you are coming from a big city up north, or Florida by way of a big city up north, you might like Asheville because it's a scaled down version of what you are used to only it has pretty surrounding scenery. You won't see the overcrowding I saw because where you come from it's overcrowded now. You are probably used to tourists. You will wonder why I complain about the parking when you are used to parking in garages and circling blocks for long lengths of time to look for a parking space in your current city and it only takes half the time in Asheville. You are probably used to non-traditional parades and events with flaky names and that celebrate nothing but put on a good show and give you an opportunity to be seen. You are used to "the next great thing" chi-chi restaurants that open and close quicker than you change your underwear so you'll shrug it off in Asheville. You are used to elitist intellectuals who can't tie their shoelaces but tell you shoe lace tying is overrated and then start a petition to regulate it in public places. You're used to street people and there are nowhere near as many in Asheville compared to where you are from. If you are worried about fitting in with the locals, forget about it. There aren't any. There are just people living there from big northern cities (and Florida) who channel the mountain culture and pat themselves on the back for being enlightened. I'm not saying everyone there is like that but that's the environment you'll be swimming in. If you come from a big northern city you are probably used to it, even if you aren't like that yourself. You may think the mountains and natural beauty is worth it or you may not even notice it.

But if you have lived all of your life in a suburban or rural town with a stable population of less than 35,000, you prefer tradition over "do your own thing" events, you are an INTJ, you are blue collar and/or like hard science and math and/or work in a related profession, you've been eating out in a place that has the same owner for as long as you can remember, and you are coming south (or north if you are from Florida) to get away from liberals and the taxes that follow them, you may want to rethink Asheville.

That being said, I found East Asheville (as far away from 25 as possible but still in Asheville) to be tolerable but think its only a matter of time before that too becomes overcrowded...and you can't isolate yourself. I wrote it off. I don't even want to visit there again.

[gypsychic]

Sorry to hear you didn't like Asheville, LauraC. My husband and I love it, and granted we like some of the things you don't like, and some of the other things which are problems right now (like the downtown parking) are temporary as they build the park and new garages. It is a city with growing pains, but we love the vibrant Bohemian vibe, and the beauty of the mountains. I have met many transplants as well as locals and ALL have been among the friendliest, most welcoming and helpful people I could ever meet.

Good luck on finding the place that will make your own heart sing!

[vandemusser]

Nothing like stereotyping a place and population to justify your own decisions.

Not everyone is an effite, elderly, former urban dweller in Asheville, nor does everyone on this board slag a town based solely on a weekend trip.

Just some of them.

[mmccool719]

You can probably take ANY town in this country and find bad points.....it's all what you make of it. I am not in total agreement about Laura C's post, but to each his own and I hope she finds her place in which to hang a hat on. Good luck!

[Bull City Rising]

Originally Posted by LauraC

But if you have lived all of your life in a suburban or rural town with a stable population of less than 35,000, you prefer tradition over "do your own thing" events, you are an INTJ, you are blue collar and/or like hard science and math and/or work in a related profession, you've been eating out in a place that has the same owner for as long as you can remember, and you are coming south (or north if you are from Florida) to get away from liberals and the taxes that follow them, you may want to rethink Asheville.

That being said, I found East Asheville (as far away from 25 as possible but still in Asheville) to be tolerable but think its only a matter of time before that too becomes overcrowded...and you can't isolate yourself. I wrote it off. I don't even want to visit there again.

Errr... okay. Look, not every place is for everybody, right? And it's cool that you don't like Asheville, no single place is for everyone.

But really now, dragging the MBTI into this? I'm a strong INTJ (three times tested over fifteen years), who's also about as liberal as they come. And yeah, I don't mind taxes. :-)

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by vandemusser

Nothing like stereotyping a place and population to justify your own decisions.

Not everyone is an effite, elderly, former urban dweller in Asheville, nor does everyone on this board slag a town based solely on a weekend trip.

Just some of them.

I wasn't there for just a weekend. I was just disappointed that it was nothing like what I expected. Having never lived anyplace with more than 35,000 people in my adult life, it was a rude awakening. The visit helped me to know what I didn't want in a town because they were things I never considered before that trip. For example, who considers population density when you decide to move? I never did. Now, because of my Asheville experience, I look at both number of people and how many square miles of land the population sits on because I realize it's important to me.

When you look at a road map, who realizes how many people travel up that one stretch of major highway every day as part of their daily commute or the huge trucks that use it to go someplace else, until you sit in the traffic yourself? I'd hate it if I had to go to work in it everyday. Do I want to deal with it in retirement? No. I don't want to live right off some highly traveled major highway. Never thought about that until I visited Asheville.

When you look at a street map, who can tell that houses, apartments, hotels, restaurants and stores all spill directly out into a major multi lane road until you try to get out of one of them onto the road? It's developers gone wild.

Who knew there were places in the Asheville area that let you look at a lake directly across the street where you live but not actually use the lake for fishing or walking or boating because you are apparently not wealthy enough. I never heard of that or experienced that anyplace where I ever lived. It reminds me of the South Park episode with the people in San Francisco who like to smell ther own farts. I want to live with regular people.

Who thinks that when they are going to a "mountain town," they might have to fish on a lake (different one) with a huge ugly plant on it until they see it for themselves?

Tourists - does anybody like them except people who make a buck off of them? But you have to visit to eyeball the potential impact to your daily life if you plan to live there. I did a lot of driving around neighborhoods. Went to Bryson City and Cherokee. Never went to the Biltmore Estate. Liked the people in East Asheville best. Also liked it's suburban spread out feel.

I'll skip the artsy-fartsy pretentious fou-fou impression of downtown but I want to say one more thing. I read an Asheville book written by two of your "warm" residents who say right up front, "Don't move here." Visit, spend money but go home. My first impression was "what a bunch of jackasses" but after I visited I thought it was good advice. I think I can do better, elsewhere. Oh, and they were right about the parking.

Like I said, people who live in major cities are used to dealing with far worse so a scaled down version of what they are used to might be perfectly acceptable or not even noticeable. Me, I'm not used to it and I didn't like it. To each his own.



Unrelated to my opinion, why has Asheville dropped right off The Top 100 Places to Retire when it was the be all, end all "go to" place just 3 years ago?

[Duke101]

Originally Posted by 5stones

considering Ashville for our move. Had ealitives that lived in Hendersonville and have visited. We currently live in DC commute area and looking for anyplace to get out!

Jcat,
have you moved alot? Because getting your drivers license in most states require that you have a bill with YOUR name on it. Here in VA you have to have proff of legal existence in the US. yes, social security card, plus photo id and a bill with proff of residence. PA is easier. With all the problems in the US getting a driver license SHOULD be difficult since most places use that as a primary source of ID. Unlike overseas where your passport is your primary source of ID.

TAXES... they get you one way or the other. Here we have vehicle tax every year as well. It based on the value of your car. (a luxury tax of sorts) our cars are 10 years old and tax runs about 110 per year. so yes if you have $800 tax bill on your car you must drive a nice one! CA has big car taxes as well. PA has many small townships so we were taxed out the wazoo... 3 income taxes (fed, state and local) 2 property taxes (county and local)

Drugs...sorry folks they are everywhere in every school and every walk of life. Yes the rich private school kids do drugs as well. Big schools and small country schools. 1980's in rual VA the kids where I went to school were growing pot on DAddy farm...manue makes good fertilizer. late 1980's moved to Houston Tx. In my highschool where the kids drove BMW etc... cocaine was very easily found. PA 2000...raising 3 girls in an affluent area south of Pittsburg...small township community (the bubble NO crime) kids are getting herion and the parents are turing a blind eye...not here etc... Underage drinking is a big problem with parents having "lock in " parties where the kids all spend the night.

So every place has it's problems you just have to go in with open eyes and list your pro's and con's and see what best suits you. Raise your children and teach them well..you are the defense against any outside negitive influences. There is NO UTOPIA.


so other area we are looking at....
Tampa area
Colorado springs, CO
Dallas, Tx
Knoxville TN

and... Prauge CH. any advise???

5stones,
We have friends that moved to Colorado Springs about 5 years ago and love it! They have their children in a Charter School there that sounds better than most privates. They were welcomed warmly and fit right in to the community within a few months. They say they like coming to CA (where they were born and raised)for visits, but love to go back home to "their" Colorado Springs.
We also have friends in Texas. Some were natives, who returned there and others are friends who never wanted to go there but now love it. Wonderful schools and welcoming communities from all reports. Job situation seems pretty good there as well. Hope this was some help. Good luck on finding a place to call home soon.
~Duke101

[vandemusser]

It's waaaaay pretentious. I walked away with the impression that people do things there so they feel good about themselves and/or because it "looks good" to others as opposed to doing it "for" others. It's all about "look at me" and "doing your own thing."

You are used to elitist intellectuals who can't tie their shoelaces but tell you shoe lace tying is overrated and then start a petition to regulate it in public places. You're used to street people and there are nowhere near as many in Asheville compared to where you are from. If you are worried about fitting in with the locals, forget about it. There aren't any. There are just people living there from big northern cities (and Florida) who channel the mountain culture and pat themselves on the back for being enlightened.

My apologies... I don't know how I misinterpreted what you wrote. I originally thought you were making ignorant, blanket statements about a place based on one visit, but now I can see that are a truly enlightened individual.

[Jcat]

Currently, Asheville City Schools are responsible for teaching about half of the children living in the city.

The drop out rate for black males is in the neighborhood of 70% and 96% of our black students are falling in the lower 50% of class standings. A terrific statement of failure.

City tax payers pay approximately $23,000,000. to subsidize the city school system.