Asheville, NC vs. Burlington, VT (live, best, cost, state)
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We have been spending a lot of time in Burlington recently. We love it. But I can't handle the snow and high cost of living. Asheville has plenty of houses in our budget. I want to know from you guys if you think a person who likes Burlington would enjoy Asheville.
The biggest thing about Burlington that I like is that the people are friendly. I can't stand living around miserable people. Is Asheville the same way?
Don't really care about COL related stuff, would like this thread to be more about the social aspects of the two cities. Is it easy to make new friends, are people noticeably friendly in Asheville like they are in Burlington, is there a large young population there, etc.
Asheville is a good bit bigger really than Burlington. People in Asheville are mostly friendly, but it's a quirky place (less so than it used to be IMO). There is a pretty decent young population in Asheville and it seems a friendly place. Winter's aren't usually TOO bad, but it depends on the year. There is some snow.
Asheville has been "discovered" in the past 10 years. That can be good -- way more restaurants, etc, but it also means the housing costs have increased and there are more people in general. Having such close access to hiking and fly fishing in the Blue Ridge Mountains is unique.
Burlington, on the other hand, has UV and I think college towns are great. Winters are a lot colder, but Asheville gets hurricane remnants each year so they aren't immune from nasty weather. Burlington has a great outdoors scene, it was just named a top 10 northern outdoors town, at North Outdoors (https://northoutdoors.com). Great hiking and paddling.
Taxes are going to be lower in Asheville, especially if you are a higher earner.
In short, if you want warmer winters and don't care about having a big university in town, go Asheville. If you enjoy the winter season and like a good college town, Burlington is pretty awesome.
Asheville is a very friendly city. I lived there for three years and met all kinds of people and never had any problems. Asheville has a vibrant downtown, festivals throughout the year, and Mt. Mitchell, The Blue Ridge Parkway, and Biltmore House draw thousands to the area each year. It is one of the best tourist towns in North Carolina and the city is suited for tourists and relocators of all types. I think you will enjoy the city.
I've only been to Burlington once. It was fine, but I MUCH more prefer Asheville. IMO, Asheville has the perfect 4-season climate. My wife and I live about 1hr20m from Asheville (near Charlotte) and day trip to Asheville a lot. We travel extensively and it's one of our favorite cities anywhere. It's very beautiful, green, clean, green/flora/waterfalls, sunny, great food, Biltmore Estate is simply stunning, the Blue Ridge Pkwy. literally runs through town, LOTS of outdoor activities. It's a good bit bigger than Burlington, so there's more across the board. The city of Asheville is Liberal, but the surrounding areas are Conservative. We love the mix. It doesn't have that "political" vibe and everyone gets along really well. The people in the city and the metro are all very friendly. I would highly recommend it.
I've been to both as well... several times. If I had to choose between the Asheville area and Burlington, I'd go with Asheville for its milder year-round weather and access to literally millions of acres of national forest lands. But I love Burlington for Lake Champlain, its downtown, and access to Montreal... but the winters are brutal.
Asheville is a tad weird/quirky, but friendly. Burlington is more understated and reserved... Ã la New England, more generally.
Burlington is the original Asheville and Boulder- Though both have far outgrown Burlington in so many ways.
Burlington's downtown is smaller, but to me has more redeeming qualities that start and end with the lake. I prefer the food and beer in Burlington, which is only a surprise to those who have never been. If you have, then I think a majority would say the same.. It is, per capita, the best eating and drinking town on the East Coast. Portland, ME will have something to say about that, but Burlington is 1/4 the size, so take that into careful consideration.
Burlington has held on to the northern New England farm-to-table mindset. Asheville has grown beyond that.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I live a half hour north of Burlington, the biggest attraction to this area that Asheville doesn't have is Lake Champlain. Visually it looks almost like an inland sea (sorta like Puget Sound in a sense) with lots of islands with beautiful mountain views of Adirondacks to the west and VT's Green mountains to the east. I'd say the best sunsets I've seen in the east are at Lake Champlain. With Vermont's pastoral landscapes you get a lot of nice views where the skies open up.
Burlington has a lengthy bikeway rail trail that follows the lakeshore through the city and up into a former rail causeway in Colchester with wide open views of lake and mountains. Downtown Burlington punches well above the weight of a city of 42K but it's also Vermont's downtown essentially since its the only urban burg in the whole state. Burlington is only 15 square miles, it has adjacent urban/suburban towns (Winooski/Essex/Colchester - 50K combined population), with South Burlington (17k) essentially being Burlington's extension for malls, office parks, and cul de sacs. If it were a city in the South or another part of the country, with absorbed adjacent cities it would be more like a city of 80k-100k in population. It fades to rural pastures fairly quickly though.
Burlington has enough amenities to satisfy most errands and needs with fairly decent enough retail including Costco, Trader Joes, and lots of health food and coop stores on par with Whole Foods and the food quality is well above average with a plethora of locally produced food. Nearby Montreal can pick up the slack if one has a craving for an urban pulse and culture.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 04-16-2019 at 08:36 AM..
Burlington is the original Asheville and Boulder- Though both have far outgrown Burlington in so many ways.
Burlington's downtown is smaller, but to me has more redeeming qualities that start and end with the lake. I prefer the food and beer in Burlington, which is only a surprise to those who have never been. If you have, then I think a majority would say the same.. It is, per capita, the best eating and drinking town on the East Coast. Portland, ME will have something to say about that, but Burlington is 1/4 the size, so take that into careful consideration.
Burlington has held on to the northern New England farm-to-table mindset. Asheville has grown beyond that.
There are tons of farm to table places in Asheville, as well as local food coops and excellent farmer's markets. While Asheville may be big for that, it's a big presence locally and a huge driver of the local image.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mwj119
It is, per capita, the best eating and drinking town on the East Coast. Portland, ME will have something to say about that, but Burlington is 1/4 the size, so take that into careful consideration.
Burlington has held on to the northern New England farm-to-table mindset. Asheville has grown beyond that.
Well if you had both the locavore element of Vermont combined with the seafood element of Maine it would be phenomenal. There's seafood up here too and you'll find lobster tanks at grocery stores and whatnot, but nothing can match the experience of having fresh seafood prepared and enjoyed on the Maine coast, Portland does pretty well for itself. It's got a Whole Foods too, but after finding City Market in Burlington, I have no use for Whole Foods anymore. I always check on expiration dates of meat, and produce and I'm finding a lot more fresher food selection up here, it's fantastic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Serious Conversation
There are tons of farm to table places in Asheville, as well as local food coops and excellent farmer's markets. While Asheville may be big for that, it's a big presence locally and a huge driver of the local image.
I could easily imagine that element would be in Asheville. I haven't been but would love to see it. Now that I'm living back east again I should make a trip down there.
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