Moving to Asheville Area? (Henderson, Hendersonville: for sale, real estate, crime)

[kirbsdc]

I am coming to Asheville on MOnday for a day trip to check out the area.
On paper Asheville sounds like a great choice for my husband, son (9) and I. We currently live in the Chicagoland suburbs.

I am very intersted in the Biltmore Lakes Subdivision or Arden as possible place to buy a home.

Please share your thoughts about the pro's and con's of Asheville as well as Biltmore Lakes and Arden. I am particularly intersted in schools, cost of living and quality of living.

In advance, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[The Mule]

Let me fire a warning shot first: I hope you are bringing your job with you or have something already worked out. Unless you are in health care or hospitality, well-paying jobs are scarce.

We live in the Arden/Skyland area and love it. The pros and cons are a matter of taste. By the standards of anyone who moved here from a larger area like Chicagoland (DC area for us some years back), everything is close. Downtown is 15-20 minutes away, Biltmore Village 10-15, the mall area about the same, the airport is about 10 minutes for me.


I can't really help you with schools since we have no children. The quality of life IMO is very good. The pace is slower than what you are used to (sometimes maddeningly slow, but that is usually due to other factors). I'm biased there since that is exactly the change we were looking for when we moved here. Cost of living statistically is a little more than 10% less here than in Chicago according to Money magazine: Cost of living: Compare prices in two cities - CNNMoney.com


Our observations are that transportation (gas and operating a vehicle) is less because you'll probably drive less. Housing is not a bargain, but that depends on what you are comparing it to. Driving will probably drive you nuts since it does not seem to be the strongest talent in the area. You'll also learn to loathe Florida license plates. There is a pretty good amount to do in terms of events and outings for a place this size. Religion is very strong in the area, as you would expect in the South, but those of us who are ambivolent on the subject are not forced into the woodwork. The daily newspaper (Citizen Times) is horrible, even for a small city newspaper.


Feel free to send me a PM through this site if you are comfortable. Depending on your price range, there are several houses for sale near us that might be worth considering. I am not a realtor or have anything to do with real estate or financing, so anything I send to you is just my own observations and probably subject to my own biases.

[vandemusser]

Nice post, and pretty accurate from my perspective.

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by The Mule

Let me fire a warning shot first: I hope you are bringing your job with you or have something already worked out. Unless you are in health care or hospitality, well-paying jobs are scarce.

Hospitality pays well? Define well

[Cofga]

I'd say the mangers of the Biltmore, Grove Park Inn, and that new Bohemian whatchamacallit get paid pretty well--bell boys and cleaning staff not so well!

Originally Posted by Asheville Native

Hospitality pays well? Define well

[Nina101010]

Its the OLD people from Florida! Its not the rest of us that are annoying!

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by Cofga

I'd say the mangers of the Biltmore, Grove Park Inn, and that new Bohemian whatchamacallit get paid pretty well--bell boys and cleaning staff not so well!

Yea, that is my take also I guess there are some that might see $8 - 10/hr as 'pays well'

[gigimac]

Dear Kirb,
Oh, yeah, cozy spot, the Biltmore Lake subdivision. Years ago, I went to a builder's open house when they first started putting up homes there, and I thought the style was just right for mountain living, really pretty & interesting home, solidly built. I'm familiar with that area, too, and it's just a short cut-over to the Biltmore Square Mall and I-26. Enka Middle and High are both good schools, I used to work for the paper and went into them at lot, pretty advanced, I thought. And there's a horse stables on past Enka and into Candler, off 151, Pisgah Ranch. The branch library and post office is just up the street from your subdivision, a few blocks. So, while it is sort of off the beaten path, it is a good area.

While you're here, look at some places in Biltmore Forest, too. Much bigger neighborhood, they have their own police, it's established, real close to Biltmore Village, and a pretty easy drive on up past the hospitals and into downtown. While you seem to gravitate towards living in South Asheville, if you wind up in Arden, you will have to battle a lot of traffic all the time up Hendersonville Road. So, if you're willing to live anywhere in town, you might enjoy checking out some homes in the Grove Park area, it's just north of town, very convenient, also established neighborhood. And while you're over there, for a real thrill, go on up to the Grove Park Inn and eat on the Sunset Terrace, preferably lunch since it's still pretty chilly here.

Pros and cons of Asheville? Gosh, that's tough to put in one post. For a small mountain city, it's got a lot of character. It's not just one big sprawl... it's made up of all sorts of different kinds of neighborhoods, separated by this hill or that river, with Craftsman homes in West Asheville, English Tudor in historic Montford in North Asheville, mid-Century up on Town Mountain in Northeast Asheville, pretty much every kind of lifestyle can be enjoyed here. They've got a very active Asheville Symphony program in the Wolfe Auditorium downtown, you get season tickets and get to see lots of pleasant concerts of all kinds. Then there's alternative music halls, art galleries of all ranges, plenty of eating places and outdoor cafes, minor league baseball with a refurbished stadium, golf courses everywhere, and the views... oh, some spots can be absolutely stunning to see if you're willing to drive here and yon. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a must, use it to go from one side of town to another, just to get a taste of how pretty the mountains are.

The cons are the same as any town. While there's some pretty spots indeed, there are also awful hamburger alleys with a stoplight at every corner, there's crime in some areas that are right next to good areas, you will experience culture shock to some degree since this is, after all, a medium-sized mountain town in the South. Some people do not like the downtown area and others like it, depends on how tolerant you are of literally EVERY kind of people all thrown together in the "colorful" humanity strolling around there, but gosh the architecture of the buildings is so interesting and I think the Wall Street/Haywood Street and Grove Arcade convergence, that is really worth the visit now and again. You can take a guided historic walk, and that would introduce you properly to the ins and outs of downtown.

Me, I think the mountains are beautiful, always have loved them. But I miss the flat lands and ocean very much. There ain't no ocean up here, that's for sure, but there are lakes, rivers, streams, trails, woods, and views everywhere. You can go rafting on the larger river that cuts through town, the French Broad. Lake Lure, a ways south, has a small beach, it's true, and also it's just a four-hour or so drive to Charleston's real beaches. But back to the bad stuff, there's the situation with the snow. It gets just as cold here as it does where you're from, maybe not quite as deep a snow, but nevertheless I thought it was a pain in the neck when I used to work. It's no fun to be on a curvy road with ice on it. But at least you can get to some ski places pretty quick, like Wolf Laurel, north a ways out.

I guess I could go on and on about Asheville. I think it's a nice place, everything is relatively convenient, I feel pretty safe here, lots of shopping, outdoor activities, anything you want in a town, it's here, both good and bad. I know I've left out stuff to say, and I'm sure folks will jump all over what I have said. But I hope you enjoy your visit coming up. Bring a sweater and jacket, it does get cold at night. Everything has finally leafed out pretty good, we've had some sun for a couple days now, hope it holds out for you, and I know the views will knock you out, and I think you'll like the little Biltmore Lake community, really well-designed homes.
GG

[gigimac]

WELLLLL, how did your visit go, Kirb? Where didya go, what didya think?