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We are a family of four with two children under the age of 5. We live in FL where the weather is hot all year round. We want to move to a rural area IN WESTERN NC (within an hour of ASHEVILLE) or surrounding areas that GET SNOW! I want to see the seasons change! The colder the better! We like the mountains, but not where all the houses are off of cliffs. We rent, so the max we would want to pay for a 2bdrm HOUSE is $850. We definitely don't want to live in an area where the houses are 3 feet from each other, we want to be FAR from our neighbors. Small towns ok. Looking to more this summer, when my son will soon start kindergarten. Obviously, I want to avoid the bad areas of NC, and we want to live in a family friendly (and preferably ATV friendly) part of town.
Thanks
((Also if you know if there is a nursing school in the area you recommend that's helpful too)
My husband does auto mechanic work if that helps
**last but not least if you can direct me to which section of craigslist to look at for houses and jobs i'd appreciate it**[LEFT]
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We are a family of four with two children under the age of 5. We live in FL where the weather is hot all year round. We want to move to a rural area IN WESTERN NC (within an hour of ASHEVILLE) or surrounding areas that GET SNOW! I want to see the seasons change! The colder the better! We like the mountains, but not where all the houses are off of cliffs. We rent, so the max we would want to pay for a 2bdrm HOUSE is $850. We definitely don't want to live in an area where the houses are 3 feet from each other, we want to be FAR from our neighbors. Small towns ok. Looking to more this summer, when my son will soon start kindergarten. Obviously, I want to avoid the bad areas of NC, and we want to live in a family friendly (and preferably ATV friendly) part of town.
Thanks
((Also if you know if there is a nursing school in the area you recommend that's helpful too)
My husband does auto mechanic work if that helps
**last but not least if you can direct me to which section of craigslist to look at for houses and jobs i'd appreciate it**[LEFT]
[/LEFT]
Not sure you'll find something in your price range in or around Asheville. Why not look at the town of Morganton or even Johnson City, TN - both have great access back to Asheville
Well, first of all, you won't get much snow here, if any. The past two years, we've had several decent snowfalls (and one really big one), but this is not a wintry area. All it does it get cold and windy here, and snow is scarce. It's kind of a bummer climate wise, because I believe that if it's going to get cold, it might as well snow (and I love cold and snow too). The best areas for snow here are the areas closest to the NC/TN border, and I agree that you should consider Johnson City/Unicoi, TN or maybe Burnsville, NC.
There is a great Nursing program at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, which is near Franklin, Sylva, that general area. Cullowhee as a town really only exists on the map; there isn't actually a town center there. The entire town IS the university. That area doesn't get much snow either unless you're in the high elevations, and from what I've heard, Cullowhee itself (and probably Sylva too) is in a particularly dry spot that gets very little precipitation. I am planning to attend WCU myself, and I am hoping to find a nice place in Waynesville, hopefully with some elevation to it. Waynesville is a nice halfway point between Cullowhee and Asheville.
The farther out of town you go, the cheaper prices are going to be, but getting a place at high elevation is going to be tough in your price range, unless you're interested in a trailer. It seems like the high-elevation areas are either very affluent (lots of vacation homes, rich folks, big expensive houses) or full of trailers, so it's kind of weird. You won't find anything you would want in your price range in Asheville, because Asheville is an extremely expensive place to live, especially compared to the average wages around here.
It certainly gets cold here compared to Florida, but other than a few cold snaps, winter highs are usually above freezing in the valley (below 3500 feet roughly). I give this advice to people fairly often, but you might try looking into northern New England if you really are interested in four beautiful seasons and lots of snow. It's more expensive to live up there, but you could find a place if you looked hard enough, and it's just an incredibly beautiful place to live. New Hampshire would be your best be in northern NE; they have a lot more jobs than Vermont or Maine, and the taxes are a good bit lower (no state sales tax or state income tax), but the property taxes are quite high. Still, since you rent, that shouldn't affect you.
But yeah, look into northeast Tennessee, or actually look into West Virginia too. Charleston, WV is a beautiful town, and the entire state of WV is mountainous and beautiful. They get a lot more snow than we do, too. A lot of it is coal-mining country, meaning economically depressed usually, but if your husband is an auto mechanic, he should be able to find work. Not sure about Nursing programs up around there, though. I just know that if I were to live in Southern Appalachia for the rest of my life, West Virginia would be right up at or near the top of my list. It really is a gorgeous state. Check into Charleston and see what you find.
The reason I tend to steer people clear of Asheville is that the secret got out a long time ago, and the area is just being flooded with people. So, as a result, everything is extremely competitive here, and it's hard to find both housing and jobs. If you look into places like east TN or WV, you will probably have an easier time finding reasonable housing, as well as decent-paying jobs. Oh, and there's not nearly as many stinky hippies.
I have to disagree with the previous posters. I have lived in this county for the last 30 years and find that we have a great set of seasons. All four are here but without being extreme. Particularly compared to Florida. Furthermore, the more it snows the less likely you will be able to get to work b/c for some reason WNC hasn't figured out that it does in fact snow every year and is not set up to salt/sand effectively. So going closer to the TN border can have detrimental financial implications if you aren't able to miss work. If you want to stay in Buncombe County, I would look at Candler, Leceister, or Swannanoa. These areas have lots of rental houses in your price range. The schools are not the best in the county, however. The Reynolds, Roberson, and North Buncombe school districts have better resources, I feel. Craigslist is a great site for rental information, but the local paper Iwanna.com may also help you find what you are looking for.
Western Carolina University does have a good Bachelors of Nursing Program, but, the local community college, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College has an ADN program as well as other certifications like phlebotomy, ultrasound, etc.
Last edited by upgrademylife; 03-16-2011 at 09:58 PM..
Reason: typo
It certainly snows every year here but it's rare to get a "real" snowfall. By "real" I mean over 6 inches or so. And man, when 6 inches of snow falls in Buncombe County, pile-ups are everywhere, nobody knows how to drive in it (even though they live in the friggin' mountains!), and it's just a mess. Luckily, I learned how to drive while living in Massachusetts for a few of my teenage years, so I learned how to drive in the stuff. I think they have actually been doing a better job with salting and plowing the roads this winter than they did last year. Last year was really a mess.
I have just received an offer on my house in NY and now have to REALLY think about the entire moving experience. Even after reading all the posts, I realize there are so many small towns around Asheville I am thoroughly confused. Being a retired, 60s, person I would like to be around some retired people, but I find a mix important. I'm not one for condo living and would like a small house with privacy. Access to Asheville's UNC is important as they have a big senior center there with numerous educational opportunities. Can anyone suggest where I should first start looking?
Check out some locations in McDowell Co (Marion, Old Fort) and Rutherford Co (Forest City, Rutherfordton). Both have a similar cost of living, community colleges that offer continuing education classes, senior centers, great food/arts/music opportunities. Marion and esp Old Fort are fairly quick interstate drive to Asheville (or take the scenic back roads, also very nice!). Both counties have lots of rural areas where your house could be as secluded or as neighborhood-y as you like. You might also consider Polk Co (Columbus, Tryon) and Henderson Co (Hendersonville, Fletcher) Both those counties have similar features as McDowell and Rutherford and are reasonable distance to Asheville.
Even after reading all the posts, I realize there are so many small towns around Asheville I am thoroughly confused. Being a retired, 60s, person I would like to be around some retired people, but I find a mix important. I'm not one for condo living and would like a small house with privacy. Access to Asheville's UNC is important as they have a big senior center there with numerous educational opportunities. Can anyone suggest where I should first start looking?
Try Weaverville, Barnardsville and even Mars Hill. All three towns are north of Asheville and you can get to UNCA pretty easily.
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