small western NC mountain towns

[soundforlanguage81]

Check into:

Sparta, NC
Bryson city, NC
Newland, NC
Hayesville, NC
Spruce Pine, NC
Murphy, NC

[Southlander]

Little Switzerland
Burnsville
Bakersville
Altamont

[bertha07]

Mount airy ,N.C. minutes from Blue Ridge parkway,vineyards all over the place, decent real estate prices.Close to Winston-Salem for medical needs, shopping. Weather is great year round we're located up against the mountains and all the storms and bad weather seem to just go over us.Located just off I-77 and I-74. Good restaurants both franchises and local, good schools.

[il66pony]

Originally Posted by hymnsinger

If you move to Big Tree (year round), you better have four wheel drive!

Both cars are AWD. and it would be a permanant home. Seriously, how bad do the roads in Big Tree get? We are retired so we do not have to get out first thing in the morning.

[mwh236]

Murphy is much more progressive and liberal than it was even five or six years ago. You can now go to a many nice restaurants and have a drink or even just to a "pub" downtown.

[samdan]

Laurel Springs.In between Sparta and West Jeff.Exactly what your looking for.

[PWRIGHT]

Checkout Little Switzerland

[abcornwell]

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

I've explored the threads here a bit, but didn't quite see what I was looking for and hoped to get some feedback.

I'm planning to relocate to the area within the next year and interested in finding a progressive/developing NC mountain town (or semi-mountain) that has an attraction for outdoor enthusiasts (hikers, climbers, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, etc)....not interested in hunting/fishing.

I'm hoping to avoid areas that are more or less "done" already in terms of development....instead preferring a place where it's happening currently. A town where there are signs of life in terms of recent development. A B&B or two, a few decent restaurants where it's not "home cooking" or all chain establishments, a decent coffee shop, a few good non-tacky retail shops, a town that is walkable in the sense of providing an interesting mix of architecture that is kept up/being fixed up, sidewalks, trees....etc,etc.

Before suggested, I think for for the most part the Asheville-Hendersonville corridor northward to Boone is off of my radar, as real estate has been driven up over the years.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can provide.

What about Franklin? I lived there for two years and can tell you:

-- There are several B&B's in town and more in the countryside
-- Quite a few good, non-chain restaurants, lunch and dinner (but outside of tourist season many close early in the evening)
-- Several excellent coffee houses (espresso and so on as well as good coffee)
-- Non-tacky retail, I know some of the craft people who have shops on and around Main Street
-- Walkable, yes, and incorporating "Principles of Growth" so Franklin can become more walkable (see Town of Franklin North Carolina - Town Planner)

The Town of Franklin is striving to become more attuned to Smart Growth (I served on a committee focusing on that issue 2 years ago) and has a very good planner, engaged citizens, and holds public charrettes for various projects.

The outdoor interests you mention are available and you can indulge to your heart's content!

Real estate is not dirt cheap, but the economy has softened it up a bit.

You may be well pleased after you've visited Franklin a few times! Good luck!

[NCN]

I would second Laurel Springs.

[hymnsinger]

Sorry I missed your post . . .

Originally Posted by il66pony

Both cars are AWD. and it would be a permanant home. Seriously, how bad do the roads in Big Tree get? We are retired so we do not have to get out first thing in the morning.

I haven't been up there in awhile, but it is very steep, and mostly unpaved. I'm pretty sure that the homeowners (HOA?) are responsible for clearing the upper roads. I don't know where the county road maintenance stops, but I can find out. I have a friend living in Big Tree. The shady areas stay icy with packed snow. Depending on your road and its facing, you may need chains a couple of times each year.

A few years ago I lived in Mountain City, TN. The secondary roads were not cleared, plowed but not completely. We had a rear wheel drive truck and a front wheel drive van. Chains were an absolute MUST, even on gentle hills. My driveway was on maybe a 1% incline. Even if I didn't need chains anywhere else, I'd slide right past my driveway without them!

Blessings!
Hymnsinger