Valle Crucis, Banner Elk...considering those areas (Waynesville, Sylva: spring break, home)

[LiveLoveLaugh]

Some of us choose to preserve the quiet valley charm.

[jstubbspt]

Originally Posted by anifani821

As a native w/ lifelong ties to the Valle Crucis area . . . I would suggest you choose some place around Asheville unless you will teach at AppState and live in Boone.

Just what Asheville needs more Artists and Realtors.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by jstubbspt

Just what Asheville needs more Artists and Realtors.

Hey better there than Valle Crucis

[PaintedLady]

Originally Posted by anifani821

As a native w/ lifelong ties to the Valle Crucis area . . . I would suggest you choose some place around Asheville unless you will teach at AppState and live in Boone.

Asheville is too city and congested for me ...... I need the woods. I am not teaching........... I am a REALTOR. I would put some paintings in galleries in Asheville or list/sell homes.........but that would be it for me and Asheville. sooooooooooooo not a city girl. ~*~ Painted Lady

[PaintedLady]

Originally Posted by jstubbspt

Just what Asheville needs more Artists and Realtors.

Yeah.........just like here in Florida. ~*~ Painted Lady

[PaintedLady]

Originally Posted by LiveLoveLaugh

Some of us choose to preserve the quiet valley charm.

That is exactly what I am looking for quiet and charm. The same reason I love small towns and churches...........you get to know everyone and they seem just like family after a bit. OK....the only thing we will do to mess with the quiet every now and then is when we take out motorcycles out. Which I am so missing........ I had a hip replacement on 12/17 and still can't drive (OK...just a little/short distances) let along ride my Triumph yet. Other than that I am a nature girl. We live in a country setting now...but on a lake. I love to see the deer, turkeys, raccoons, even black bear where we live. It is awesome! My son is chomping at the bit to get to NC too. He has all these ideas. He is a nature boy........always outside fishing, camping our just hanging with the neighbor boys. So glad he is not glued to video games, etc. ~*~ Painted Lady

[jstubbspt]

Unless you're independently wealthy I don't see it happening then. The housing bubble popped much earlier in Florida; we're just starting to see the collapse here in the mountains of WNC. Good luck to you if you still decide to move.

[anifani821]

We should give her the threads concerning how angry motorcycles make the natives, Hee Hee Hee.

[gigimac]

Valle Crucis is really a pretty area, my favorite in the higher altitudes of WNC. It's between Banner Elk and Boone. Valle Crucis, there's a book on it, could be your library can ship it in from the Asheville library system. It's all rural, no "town" as such, more a crossroads with a lot of very fine homes scattered along the outlying rivers and valleys and amongst the woods.

Banner Elk has a community college, it's a hamlet more than a town, has a hospital for folks who break their legs on the several ski slopes in the vicinity. The altitude is higher than Boone, makes for some pretty mists and lots of winter snow. It's not as pretty as Valle Crucis, but some of the side roads can lead to some good mountainside areas to live.

Boone is for living in a small town. Lots of shops, places to eat, plenty of housing of all sorts, and of course Appalachian State University. You can get to Valle Crucis and Banner Elk and all the skiing places within 20 minutes of Boone. If you would rather not become a hermit on the side of a mountain or at the end of a curvy road to nowhere, and if you would like at least have someplace to eat out once in a while, live in Boone.

The road into Blowing Rock is sort of lined with hotels for tourists, and maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't want to live up there. By the way, LOTS of local people with motorcycles LOVE to travel along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and once a year a whole bunch of clubs come up to WNC and you'll see them in groups up there. Why don't you come on up in the spring, drive all around up in Ashe County, stay in Boone while you're up there, and you'll get a real good feel for the areas you're asking about.

Since you're in Central Fla., go by way of Atlanta, will make the trip a little shorter than if you go up the coast and cut over... but any way you look at it, it will be easier if you take two days to get up to Boone. Once you're up there, probably two or three days to completely explore everything, as the winding roads don't allow for quick day trips. Plus you'll want time to go to a few open houses here and there, to see what the architecture is like and so forth. Order a Home and Lands magazine delivered to you, maybe, and of course the newspaper up there will help... at least I THINK Boone has a newspaper. Gosh, I'm getting tired, I need to get off this here forum!!!

[roadpony]

Originally Posted by gigimac

Banner Elk has a community college, it's a hamlet more than a town, has a hospital for folks who break their legs on the several ski slopes in the vicinity.

I think it's been a while since you've visited Banner Elk. Lees McRae College has never been a community college. It was first a junior college (two-year) but has been accredited as a senior (four-year) college since 1990.

The old Cannon Hospital closed several years ago. It merged with Sloop Hospital, and an entirely new facility was built between Linville and Newland, opening in 1999. And of course it does more than treat snow-sports injuries. It is a part of the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, along with Watauga Medical Center and Blowing Rock Hospital.

Originally Posted by gigimac

... and of course the newspaper up there will help... at least I THINK Boone has a newspaper. Gosh, I'm getting tired, I need to get off this here forum!!!

Boone has several papers, thank you very much. And they even have... (gasp)... web sites!

Watauga Democrat - tri-weekly
The Mountain Times - weekly
High Country Press - weekly