Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Status:
"Pickleball-Free American"
(set 4 days ago)
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,464 posts, read 44,090,617 times
Reputation: 16861
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piney Creek
Why don;t you feel you would fit in Asheville? It's one of the few towns I know that actually does have both a strong crunchy community and a strong conservative community. And the two communities seems to get along, which is a bonus. Plus, it has mild winters.
Yeah, Asheville seems to have acquired a reputation for being monolithic in its liberalism. The downtown and intown neighborhoods are virtually that, and since that is what most tourists see, it stands to reason.
However, once you get down into some of the wealthier neighborhoods on the southside ie Biltmore Forest, there is a bit of a demographic shift.
My family currently sold our home & headed out in an RV trying to find a new area to call home. I have been in Ohio all my life and need change. These are things I am looking for: 1) a crunchy/conservative area ( I love Asheville, Nc - but can't see myself fitting in to live there). 2) mild weather - little to no snow/ milder summers 3) a place with homeschooling groups and great homeschool laws 4) a religious area is good 5) a place with access to to natural minded healthcare 6) a place where getting around is easy (I am a scared driver - so a place that is easily drivable) 7) affordable and a good place for my husband to find a job - office/finance work.8) a place with natural beauty is a huge plus Does a place like this exist?? thanks!
Asheville proper is very liberal. Once you start getting outside the city limits, and especially Buncombe County, it starts trending more rural mountain Southern.
True, but I think we can say that about almost any metro area, including the Oklahoma cities.
It's generally just more conservative than strictly religious, though plenty of religion about if you look for it. It's usually not a first sentence topic or question in casual conversation with strangers.
It's quite clean and has well maintained parks and lots of outdoor options.
There's the general AZ live-and-let-live vibe.
I guess it's a little crunchy in the sense of organic food CO-OP, medicinal marijuana shop, farmer's market, hand-made goat milk soaps, etc. Not strictly a hippy haven, though there are a few.
If you need a more liberal, hippy fix, Bisbee is 20-some minutes down the road. It's definitely, unabashedly crunchy there.
Tucson is about an hour to an hour and a half away, depending on where in SV you live and how fast you drive, when you need a bigger city.
Wonderful climate, though summers may be hotter than OP would care to experience. Usually around 10 degrees cooler than Tucson. Snow only stays on the mountaintops, if at all. In 4 years here, I've only seen it "snow" a few times. Never had any of it actually stick for more than 30 minutes. Barely had to turn on the vehicle windshield wipers. Definitely no shoveling, ever.
As a former homeschooler, I can say that a great many homeschooling families are both religious/conservative in political and social issues, and personally "crunchy" in things like organic foods, holistic/alternative medicine, anti-vaxxing, and so forth. And they all hate nanny-state laws and Big Brother meddling in the raising of the kids.
I believe what the OP is looking for is a place that would facilitate those "alternative" elements, such as farmer's markets and access to holistic medicine, as well as an environment that is friendly to homeschooling: a state with relaxed laws regarding compulsory schooling, neighbors who mind their own business and won't complain if kids are playing alone outside, or if the kids are shopping with mom during "school hours." Basically more real tolerance, not modern liberal "tolerance," and less government and social interference in a lifestyle that is different from the mainstream.
Yes to all the above - you said it better than I could. Sadly - most places that are health minded (organic foods, holistic medicine, anti-vax, etc, etc....) tend to be very liberal minded - which I am not (not trying to be judgy - just trying to find a place we can fit in and feel at home). My husband is job searching & Asheville is not even an easy place to find a job.
We homeschool - so good HS laws & HS groups is very important. We take a more holistic view of healthcare & eating - so access to those is also very important. Being able to find a christian church is important. I am a scared driver (especially in snow and in busy downtown areas - lots of overpasses, etc..) and since I would be driving the kids to activities - those things are important to......Scenic beauty is a HUGE bonus. - We are not overly outdoorsy people - so outdoor activities is not a big deal...Not sure how to rank things....
Look at Florida. It has the mild weather and great scenic beauty. It's a Purple state politically. It is very affordable in many areas. It's the flattest US state and people drive slowly (lots of retirees!) so driving isn't scary. Lots of fresh food and outdoor health consciousness---the sunshine alone improves mood. Very live-and-let-live laws re homeschooling. Plenty of jobs. Many churchgoing people.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Look at Florida. It has the mild weather and great scenic beauty. It's a Purple state politically. It is very affordable in many areas. It's the flattest US state and people drive slowly (lots of retirees!) so driving isn't scary. Lots of fresh food and outdoor health consciousness---the sunshine alone improves mood. Very live-and-let-live laws re homeschooling. Plenty of jobs. Many churchgoing people.
