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HelenJim - we're not quite settled yet! Still in the rental house but we are building in south H'ville. This has turned out to be a great fit for us. It's better weather than Chicago in just about every way. There were days last winter that were very cold - like wake up in the morning to 5 above cold. But by noon it was sunny and 40 or 45 and that sun makes all the difference in the world - much more sun than in a Chicago winter. Have to run to the gym but I'll be back later and fill in some more.
Looking forward to hearing more! We're from the western suburbs of Chicago. I just don't want Asheville to have too many cold mornings when I still have to wear a coat and wait for noon for it to be warm. Hopefully this makes sense. I assume Black Mountain and Hendersonville would have pretty much the same temperatures - those are the 2 places we're considering. Black Mountain has a little advantage in that it's a little closer to Asheville.
H'ville and black Mountain will be very similar - minor day to day variations where one might get rain and the other not or slight temp differences but overall the same. As for not wanting to wear a jacket - I don't think you'd be happy in WNC!!! Admittedly, I wear a jacket or sweater when it's 60 out but there is a true winter here and you can't go without a jacket. You won't be able to do that in Knoxville either - I have a friend who moved there from IL, they get hotter and way more humid than we do in summer and not as much sun in the winter. The air is much dirtier there and doesn't 'move' the way it does here - it's a far bigger city than A'ville and sits almost as low as Ch'go.
What I love about the difference in weather here as opposed to Chi'go is the shoulder seasons are much longer and simply beautiful. Winter is winter, it gets cold, there is snow and/or ice but it's broken up with sunny days in the 50's, not 4 straight months of gray and highs in the 30s (if you're lucky) like Chi'go. Some people on this forum find the summer here too humid for their liking but again, compared to Chi'go, this past summer was a breeze. The sun here is brighter and hotter, the sky is bluer but shade is cooler which to me means less humidity than Ch'go. Nights cool down much more frequently here and even if you need AC in the day, often a ceiling fan is enough at night - for me - YMMV. Spring and Fall are incredible and last long enough to enjoy - the transition is much slower than Chicago.
Black Mt is cute but not enough of a 'town' for me. Since moving here I've discovered small town life and really love it.
I'm not saying that I never want to wear a coat - I definitely expect to in the winter! I mean that on Spring or Fall days, or even some Winter days that warm up during the day, are the mornings cooler than Chicago and you have to wait a few hours for the temp to catch up to what we would have here? Same with evenings - do they cool down faster then Chicago?
So you find Hendersonville has a larger downtown with more to do than Black Mountain? If you're familiar with Hinsdale at all - our suburb - I wonder if B. Mountain has just as much as us, or if not, I probably wouldn't be very happy there. Thanks!
Yes - Your Mileage May Vary. What I mean is what''s humid to me or cold to you is all individual preference.
Yes it cools down faster here at sunset then in Chicago - that's the difference in elevation. Winter mornings are certainly not colder here on average. There's a wider swing in temps here sunrise to sunset during spring and fall then in Chicago. If you've ever spent any time in CO, it's the same kind of thing but not as extreme.
Hinsdale to Black Mountain - you're in for major adjustment, which is not necessarily a bad thing IF it's an adjustment that you want. We lived in Highland Park and the towns have similar amenities as you know and I found Black Mt too small and too bare bones. Yes it's closer to Asheville, so if you like the idea of a quiet day to day life knowing that your 'entertainment' means a drive to Asheville, then it might be a good fit for you. If your comfort zone is a generally lateral type move with different scenery and weather then check out south Asheville - and I mean that with absolutely no judgement! We looked there and I could totally see living there, the transition would have been pretty seamless. But on the flip side, one of the reasons we wanted to move was to get away from the somewhat sterile suburban feel, largely homogeneous population, shopping driven lifestyle. I had a many years of Is that all there is? and we finally took the leap. It takes a lot of soul searching to figure out what's driving your desire to move and what kind of place fits that.
Great information. Yes, I think a lateral move from the amount of shopping and dining in Hinsdale would be nice - we don't need much, just a decent variety. If Black M. doesn't have close to the options we have, then it might be too small. We'll check out Hendersonville to see if it has enough for us; then the occasional drive to Asheville might not be bad. I am still worried about the weather; I would hate to move and then say it's too cold. I know it would feel a lot nicer than Chicago overall, but the cold morning and evenings scare me.
Comparing Black Mountain to Fletcher, which has a larger downtown with more restaurants, stores, events...? Are they pretty much similar in terms of demographics and "vibe"?
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I assume Black Mountain and Hendersonville would have pretty much the same temperatures - those are the 2 places we're considering. Black Mountain has a little advantage in that it's a little closer to Asheville.
