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Let's talk about expensive. Last time I lived in Asheville (2004) I was paying $575/month for a 800 sq. foot apartment in south Asheville. Not bad eh? A friend of mine that still lives in the same building and with the same size apartment now pays $950/month. But she still renews that lease because she knows that it doesn't get much better anywhere else around town. I realize to some of you that $950/month is still pocket change, but an increase of $375/month over the course of 6 years is a little drastic don't you think? And I doubt it will stop there.
Some of the these places have waiting lists? and application review boards? In Asheville? These places are no Ritz-Carlton believe me. And as previously stated jobs to newcomers aren't too easy to come by unless you work in a somewhat specialized field, if not you might find yourself catering to year-round tourists. And by "catering" I mean asking them if they would like sugar in their coffee.
I like Asheville, but sadly these days I only like it for maybe a week each year. It's like filling a giant 45 sq. mile water balloon. All of the water is pouring in and none coming out, sooner or later it's going to pop.
expensive ? It all depends on where you are coming from. I live in Delaware right now, which is wellknown for being nothing special, but very convenient to get to PA, VA, MD and NJ. And considered being inexpensive (compared to the neighboring states).
I hear people (living in the WNC area) complain about high taxes, mostly city, sometimes county, a lot. housing is supposed to be pricey - but compared to our current town there is not much difference.
I think, if you have been living in WNC for a long time, it really became very expensive. but compared to my current situation - I don't think so.
if you trust online calculators, here might be an interesting link:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
That's correct. Everything is relative. If you sell apples to apples in price between one state and another, the problem lies in income here. Cost of Living Comparisons are not accurate whatsoever, they are very general, and outdated.
No one should move anywhere without securing employment first unless you can sustain yourself for a minimum of a year, and be prepared to take a 40% cut in salary. Or, if you are retired with a guaranteed income backed up by secure savings.
In addition, they can have a big problem if they don't like it here after 5 yrs. or so, and want to "go back" to a higher priced area. The higher priced areas will always outpace the lower ones.
That's correct. Everything is relative. If you sell apples to apples in price between one state and another, the problem lies in income here. Cost of Living Comparisons are not accurate whatsoever, they are very general, and outdated.
No one should move anywhere without securing employment first unless you can sustain yourself for a minimum of a year, and be prepared to take a 40% cut in salary. Or, if you are retired with a guaranteed income backed up by secure savings.
well said.
Should be attempting for a bigger company, to open a big factory in the area. land is inexpensive (well, again, compared to other states), wages are low and LOTS of people are looking for work and would just take anything ...
and, for sure I would not use an online calculator to make up my mind - but maybe it gives you a rough idea of something.
I truly believe, that living in Honolulu will be 140 percent more expensive than living in Delaware - but that's what I pretty much figured out without any online help
PS ... maybe I should not mention that here ... but I actually found out about Asheville while browsing the internet. there is a site which helps you to find the state/city, that would be the best match.
asheville came out as number 1 for me and number 2 for hubby - so we came down for a visit 2,5 years ago and truly fell in love. BUT since loving the area does not feed the family, we first made sure to be able making a living in WNC too.
Moderator cut: Links to competing sites are not allowed, per the Terms of Service
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 01-26-2011 at 05:02 PM..
well, I had 2.5 years to find out. we visited asheville and the area around 6 times, so we spent quite some time until we were able to decide what to do.
We have been to many states already (more than our delaware friends and neighbors have seen so far) and pretty much know, what a good fit for us would be.
when I said 'I almost don't dare to mention it' it seems, I was kind of right - was waiting for a reaction like that. I think, it was a sign, hubby and I seem to end up in the same city and wanted to share that. Why is this so wrong to you ?
with three kids in mind ... I can assure you, we did a good research - just in case, you were concerned, not just grumpy.
Thank you for all the replies. Salt Lake City certainly has a high cost of living and looking at the real estate for asheville, it's so much cheaper than what I'm used to. I am a physical therapist with several certifications and have 7 years management experience, so I'm not worried about finding a job. I also am an art yarn spinner and raise alpacas. I heard Asheville is a very "artsy" area and I bet my product would be a good fit for the area. I came from Cleveland and it was quite a big city, Salt Lake is a tiny city for me, but the folks that have been raised here say it's gotten "so big", it's all realative. I 'm not looking for "so sleepy" that there is nothing to do. But I like a colorful culture and a vibrant area.
Mary, look up the John Campbell Folk School website. The school is over in Brasstown, close to the north GA border, and close to the TN border. If you page through their online catalog you will see several names of art yarn folks, spinners, and all types of craftspeople that you can try to contact in and around the Asheville area. However, if you feel that Salt Lake City is tiny (I love SLC), then Asheville will be micro-tiny to you, yet very artsy. If you raise alpacas and plan to do it here, then Google some alpaca farms in the area. Naturally they are in the agricultural areas, so you would want to be within a 25 mi. radius of Asheville not close to the city. You may also find the cost of living here is high, so you need to be near medical facilities for your profession. Largest hospitals and medical complexes would be near St. Joseph's Mission Hospital system in Asheville. Since this is a huge retirement area, there should be a market for PT's. However, remember that Asheville IS the biggest city in WNC. Personally, I'd be closer to Raleigh/Durham/ and in particular, Winston Sales is awesome for medical also, and plenty of arts and culture there.
Bottom line is you simply have to come and stay a week or so, look around and see how it feels. Do NOT under any circumstances come without a job.
Well Asheville is tiny compared to SLC. Outside the temple complex SLC is just like many SW towns, flat strewn out and sprawling over the landscape. Asheville can't do that since it is sandwiched between the mountains in the French Broad River Valley. Since it is all tossed in together it gives the impression of being bigger than it is. You'll al;so find lots of others out here involved in textile A&C so you won't be alone unless you want it that way. A PT career should be good out here with all us retirees here. There are several hospitals in the area plus the other associated private practices. Better plan on at least one trip out to make sure you'll really like the small town and also to get a feel for the atmosphere. Good luck
Just something to throw out there... Yes, NC has a lot of taxes, but if you have kids and you plan to stay until they are college age, it's worth it. Why? Because North Carolina has excellent public schools, and a lot of those state taxes go to keeping tuition low. The annual cost of tuition is $4800 (and some change) for an in-state student at UNC-Chapel Hill. It's a top notch school (compared to some state universities) and certainly that kind of tuition can't be beat when students are having to take tens of thousands of dollars in loans nowadays. While I don't have kids yet, I've definitely considered moving over the line from SC because our universities pale in comparison to the UNC system and the cost of tuition is 2.5 times more!
Just something to consider.... :-)
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well said. 
