DOWNTOWN Asheville is not Asheville (2011, renting, unemployed)

[organick]

Originally Posted by Zooropa

I agree with you for the most part but living in walking distance of downtown and a frequent patron of downtown businesses (Almost any time I eat out or go to a bar it's downtown) it's not all hippie types, nor is it even a majority of people that are hippie types downtown.

Yeah not sure why everyone catagorizes the whole town as hippies. I guess because they see a few people with dreadlocks and thats all they think

[the Parkies]

Originally Posted by organick

Yeah not sure why everyone catagorizes the whole town as hippies. I guess because they see a few people with dreadlocks and thats all they think

Hippy: (esp. in the 1960s) a person of unconventional appearance, typically having long hair and wearing beads, associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinogenic drugs.

Especially if we substitute "alcohol" for "hallucinogenic drugs," how many of us have been happy "hippies" at some point in our lives? And we thought it was okay, right? We weren't "bad people," were we?

Asheville is a college town! College students make up a "sub-culture." I remember going through a college sophomore phase when I was intellectually proud to be an atheist--I drank to that--then an agnostic--I drank to that, too. Was I rejecting conventional and family values?--oh yeah!!

Almost by definition, college towns have more "hippies." So what?? Bill and I enjoy them! Their hair, their clothes, their shoes, their energy, their personalities, their conversations (when we get to eavesdrop)--they all fascinate us, partly, I suppose, because they bring back pleasant memories of the independence of youth, in or out of college....

I think we're way too critical of the young anyway. Example: Bill and I abhor body piercing. I mentioned it once to a friend. She said, "You pierced your ears." Well, howdy-do, and so I did, many years ago, and was recently considering piercing them again so I could wear two earrings in each ear. So how is piercing ears different from piercing a belly-button or a lip or a nose (medical risks aside)? We aren't fond of tattoos, either--but nobody's tattooing our bodies, so we just live and let live and consider tattoos "free entertainment."

Just wanted to offer a different perspective on Asheville's "hippies."

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by the Parkies

Asheville is a college town! College students make up a "sub-culture."

Very 'sub' as UNCA isn't that big (3,600 students) and many of those are 'commuter' students.

[the Parkies]

Originally Posted by Asheville Native

Very 'sub' as UNCA isn't that big (3,600 students) and many of those are 'commuter' students.

Good point. But even if only 100 "remarkable" students hang out downtown in any given day/night, visitors might be more inclined to see us as a "hippy" town than if we had no college students here at all--don't you think? As I see it, 3,600 students as a percentage of 70,000 population is a 5% significant (and significantly visible) sub-culture. And as a percentage of the--what?--8,000 people who actually live downtown, 3,600 students living even in the general area surely have a huge impact on downtown traffic. Whether or not they commute to college, they hang out downtown--don't you think?

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by the Parkies

Good point. But even if only 100 "remarkable" students hang out downtown in any given day/night, visitors might be more inclined to see us as a "hippy" town than if we had no college students here at all--don't you think? As I see it, 3,600 students as a percentage of 70,000 population is a 5% significant (and significantly visible) sub-culture. And as a percentage of the--what?--8,000 people who actually live downtown, 3,600 students living even in the general area surely have a huge impact on downtown traffic. Whether or not they commute to college, they hang out downtown--don't you think?

I believe if you lined up all the college students downtown on the north side of the street, and the homeless waiting on the shelters to open on the south side of the street the students would be out numbered 3 to 1 or greater.

Need to consider that the urban population for the area 220,000 and the metro is 400,000, well within the area where commuter students live.

[The Mule]

Downtown anywhere is usually not indicative of its area. Some are worse, some are better than the general surroundings and character of the area. Some are dangerous, some are centers of activity, some are the only center of activity, some are just different.

The fact that it is no different here not be a surprise.

[Zooropa]

While I'm no fan of the beggars hanging out, I like our downtown enough that I'm willing to deal with them. And I do still think it gets a bit blown out of proportion as far as the numer of ppl out there on the street. I walk the downtown streets several times a week and don't have that much trouble with them.

[vk40]

The Parkies- loved your post concerning the "hippies". To me, from everything I have read, that is part of what gives Asheville it's flavor. I hope to visit Asheville soon in the future, and would be highly disappointed if I didn't get to see the drum circles and all the different characters that make up your city! And I so agree with you- live and let live. What people choose to do with their hair, skin, clothes, etc.. is their business, it affects me in no way. This world is too judgmental- how boring would it be if we were all the same!

[oneluckymug]

Originally Posted by the Parkies

Hippy: (esp. in the 1960s) a person of unconventional appearance, typically having long hair and wearing beads, associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinogenic drugs.

Especially if we substitute "alcohol" for "hallucinogenic drugs," how many of us have been happy "hippies" at some point in our lives? And we thought it was okay, right? We weren't "bad people," were we?

Asheville is a college town! College students make up a "sub-culture." I remember going through a college sophomore phase when I was intellectually proud to be an atheist--I drank to that--then an agnostic--I drank to that, too. Was I rejecting conventional and family values?--oh yeah!!

Almost by definition, college towns have more "hippies." So what?? Bill and I enjoy them! Their hair, their clothes, their shoes, their energy, their personalities, their conversations (when we get to eavesdrop)--they all fascinate us, partly, I suppose, because they bring back pleasant memories of the independence of youth, in or out of college....

I think we're way too critical of the young anyway. Example: Bill and I abhor body piercing. I mentioned it once to a friend. She said, "You pierced your ears." Well, howdy-do, and so I did, many years ago, and was recently considering piercing them again so I could wear two earrings in each ear. So how is piercing ears different from piercing a belly-button or a lip or a nose (medical risks aside)? We aren't fond of tattoos, either--but nobody's tattooing our bodies, so we just live and let live and consider tattoos "free entertainment."

Just wanted to offer a different perspective on Asheville's "hippies."

Although I will agree with you it's not a hippie town.....is is absolutely not a college town. It is about as far from a college town as one can get while actually containing a college in the community. The average age is 40, older then the average age of NC residents by 4 years.

Asheville gets tagged a lot for many things.....but I have never heard someone claim it's a college town. I've been told Boone fits the college town bill for the WNC area....but having never been there I am not sure. However the average age is 21 there, 13 years younger then the average NC resident....so I am guessing this is true.

Asheville is full of the very poor, the well-off retired but not really wealthy, some hippies, many ultra-liberals, some ultra-conservatives, and a bunch of trustafarian kids who preach on global warming and green lifestyles while driving their Range Rovers while walking around with dreads and nappy clothes but have grand in their wallet and a pumpkin spice latte in their hand.

[Noreaster73]

My family and I visited the Asheville/Hendersonville areas in early October. It was cold and rainy, but we had a blast anyway. We really liked it and are considering it as a next possible stop in our life's journey. But two days a decision does not make. So we'd like to come back for a longer stay, preferably during peak tourist season, to get a true feel for life in the area. What month should we be shooting for.