Asheville NC, the good, the bad, and the ugly (Henderson: real estate market, credit)

[Carolina_native]

In response to an earlier post about DC or Virginia having a vehicle tax, North Carolina has a vehicle tax too.

[electric_lady]

I have been to Asheville many times. I live in a small mostly rural area in Michigan. Hardly a big city. That said, I have never found Asheville to be elitist. Lots of hippies and transplants, but I don't think that's a big deal. However, I have spent a lot of time in Ann Arbor, and I find that the most pretentious little liberal town ever.

[highliner]

I've been to Asheville several times for work-related projects. I was stunned by the sheer volume of drug crime incidents, for such a small population. On the plus side, however, your local police agencies are filled with top-notch people, quite the opposite of what I'd expected. It's a real shame that this beautiful area is marred by the drug scene, especially meth.

[mat4777]

I live in northern wisconsin and was thinking of checking out asheville area in part to the relatively low taxes compared to here. I own a rural home out in the sticks valued at $225k. I was excited when I got my property tax bill last year and it went down to $3400 for the year. WI does not have a vehicle tax every year but you due pay sales tax of 5.5%. What is a typical electric bill in summer/winter? We also pay some of the highest state and local taxes in the country. I believe WI ranks #4 in overall high tax. Drug problem not very bad. Crime is very low. But so is the temperture in January.

[2haflingers]

Originally Posted by Jcat

No need to be scared. The truth is always good, right??? I am staying here. Just thought people should know the truth. If you think it is cheaper to move here from FL, ,like we did, you are wrong. I mentioned great things about Asheville as well. And if people don't believe the drug problem here, call the police dept. 70% of the crime here is drug related.

Sprtslver is from Atlanta. I have no idea why anything he/she said is relevent!!!

70% of ALL crime is drug related

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by soldono

You are scaring me. I am planning to move to Asheville within the next 3 months from New Port Richey, Fl. The main reason we chose that area was for the mountains and change of seasons.I am interested in architecture of a by gone era and plan on purchasing a home that can be restored. That is also our business-constructional remodeling and cleaning.We will continue to manage our business from a distance while checking out the opportunities in N.C.My daughters are all 3 drug free(thank you, Lord!)so Nothing could be as bad as Florida.I was a bit surprised to hear of the problems, though.

Be very careful, we have the housing codes from hell here. The city has mangled the restrictions to where you cannot get a CO on a house that needs a little work so that you can put some sweat equity into a "fixer upper"

All electrical, all plumbing, every single standard must be meet before you can live there and start fixing things. That includes every single window must have a screen, every floor where there is water (bath & kitchen) must be 100% impervious to water, a cracked window pane in any window and you will be denied a CO. Even if the exterior has peeling paint, and it is in the dead of winter, you ain't moving in until you get some paint on it.

Watching city council meetings it is clear that the snob factor has taken control of council, and the wish of a few that they not have to watch a neighbor work on their "fixer upper" is now the rules you have to play under. So the young couple that want to save money are barred by stupid city rules. This will have the effect of preventing some people from every realizing their dream of owning a home, at least here in Asheville.

And ultimately, these are the people that will make the best residents, both for the entire city, and as a neighbor.

Drugs: Several times a month we get reports on another shooting in Asheville. With the rare exception they are all in or immediately adjacent to one of the many city sponsored housing projects, that resemble cesspools, and are overrun with drug dealers. The cops won't even go into these projects alone after dark.

Some of the older neighborhoods, that have some fine old homes in them are in the immediate area of these projects, so check out the neighborhood in all directions before you buy. People 6 - 10 blocks away have to pick the drug paraphernalia out of their yard on a regular basis

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by highliner

I've been to Asheville several times for work-related projects. I was stunned by the sheer volume of drug crime incidents, for such a small population. On the plus side, however, your local police agencies are filled with top-notch people, quite the opposite of what I'd expected. It's a real shame that this beautiful area is marred by the drug scene, especially meth.

We have some good cops, and some others. We probably have enough cops, but the goal of the police department is not to have a zero tolerance level toward drug dealers. Speeders and PR work really seem to have a higher priority than curtailing the drug trafficking here.

Example: Not long ago 3 cops ganged up on a 60 year old woman out walking her dog, and tazer her 3 times for reasons that are certainly not clear yet, though the tazer happy cop got reprimanded, eventually. Drive by a minor traffic accident, and there are 8 cop cars. There probably haven't been 8 cops in the dozen projects all shift.

[jrogers345]

I've only been to Asheville a couple times and considered it also to be a "college town". Am I wrong? That would be my reasoning for pot being around. Always has been in use at college. and it's been 30+ yrs for me in school. That's as high (in years) as I'll confess

Originally Posted by sprtsluvr8

Denial that there is a problem is the biggest problem of all...

How long has it been since you guys were in high school? I would be that it was longer ago for me...+-20 years ago...
drugs were a 'problem' when I was in high school.

1. It was all in the media - all the time
2. Nancy Reagan started the "Just Say No" campaign
3. Drugs were easier to get than alcohol (incidently ALSO a drug)
4. Nothing has changed?

It is much easier to buy weed than alcohol when you're 17. No one requires a picture ID for drugs....Kids are not going to stop trying drugs...it's something that's 'off limits' to them, therefore very attractive to them. I guess my advice to the parents worried about the drug problem is...talk to your kids and concentrate on making sure they know how you feel about drug use. It's dangerous, not only for their health but in the sense of driving while impaired and in the sense that they could be arrested.

I may be wrong, but I don't see the drug problem being any worse than it was 20 years ago. There are a couple of new drugs, but there were a couple back then that they aren't doing now...and I think those were worse than the newer ones. Pot is organic and natural, so it will always be around.

[jrogers345]

This is the impression I got of Asheville the couple times I was there and loved it. Maybe it's because we are from the north and are use to the bustle of cities. I liked the idea that there was someplace to go eat and shop when we wanted more than a WalMart or a franchise. I spend a lot of time last few years going to Princeton.. talk about pretentious, snobby people!!!

Originally Posted by 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!

[jrogers345]

Originally Posted by 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.

Can I ask where do you live?