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There are a number of fairly walkable communities that I have discovered. I lived near downtown West Asheville and walked everywhere, including to grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, and pubs. I also rode my bike quite a bit as well. The only thing really lacking is a hardware store.
Check out the streets named after states in WAVL: Vermont, Lousiana, Virginia etc.
The neighborhoods surrounding greenlife are also pretty walkable (Chestnut, Holland, etc). Aside from the grocery store, you're about a 10-minute walk to downtown.
Agreed, it's not as walkable as some other cities, like Portland or Boulder, but for NC, it's about as good as it gets (you're taking your life in your own hands walking in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte etc.).
Oh, and as to crime in WAVL, it's been greatly exaggerated. I haven't had a single problem in the two years I've been here.
p.s. it's no longer referred to as "West Asheville" . . . It's now called "Best Asheville".
Thanks NC_Paddler, that's helpful. West/Best Asheville sounds a lot like where we live now, formerly run down area that has been revitalized over the last 30 years. We find the crime here to be greatly exaggerated as well, occasional robbery but nothing major. Well worth putting up with as the area has so much to offer. We are looking forward to checking it out in Sept.
I am in a similar situation; retired and looking for a nice, walkable neighborhood. I was in Asheville last summer for 1 month and just this past week. I don't want to bring you down, but I did not find what I was looking for. And, I am very disappointed because I really like Asheville, and NC in general. Ash is a great town with lots to do and a good variety of places to eat and shop, a nice library, etc. I find the people there very nice. But, yeah, no grocery store in town. I also want REASONABLY priced newer housing.
Unfortunately, there is very little supply of what I consider reasonably priced housing in and around the downtown area. I think that the condos downtown are expensive for what you get. Not good value in my opinion. Not to mention the extra burden of an HOA. And the monthly HOA on many places is very high. So, I was focusing my search on a small house or possibly a townhome (in the right location, with low HOA) just outside of the downtown area. I could not find it.
My problems with the areas closest to downtown were;
Montford - primarily older homes. Although many have been renovated, they are still old homes. I want something new, green, low maintenance, and very energy efficient.
Kenilworth - I did not find most of this area walkable. As you climb the hills in that area there are fewer sidewalks, narrower streets and no shoulders on the streets. Walking would be a nightmare.
As for West Ash; it is okay. The shops and so forth are not as concentrated as in the downtown area and some of the neighborhoods I looked at were a bit "scruffy" looking. I was not so concerned about crime, but I did want a nice, well kept neighborhood. It was evident that some homeowners took great pride in their homes and some not so much. A mixed bag.
North Asheville was the closest I came to finding a place. But, then you only have a limited amount of shops and depending where you are in North Ash, the walk to town could be a long one.
So, unless my realtor can work a miracle I am not going to move to Asheville. But, that's all my personal experiences and my personal needs. Different strokes for different folks. I hope you find what you are looking for.
No, it's not walkable. LoL... At the end of the day, Asheville is in the South, and as such, was not designed to be walkable or dense, spawl is the rule of the day.
I am in a similar situation; retired and looking for a nice, walkable neighborhood. I was in Asheville last summer for 1 month and just this past week. I don't want to bring you down, but I did not find what I was looking for. And, I am very disappointed because I really like Asheville, and NC in general. Ash is a great town with lots to do and a good variety of places to eat and shop, a nice library, etc. I find the people there very nice. But, yeah, no grocery store in town. I also want REASONABLY priced newer housing.
Unfortunately, there is very little supply of what I consider reasonably priced housing in and around the downtown area. I think that the condos downtown are expensive for what you get. Not good value in my opinion. Not to mention the extra burden of an HOA. And the monthly HOA on many places is very high. So, I was focusing my search on a small house or possibly a townhome (in the right location, with low HOA) just outside of the downtown area. I could not find it.
My problems with the areas closest to downtown were;
Montford - primarily older homes. Although many have been renovated, they are still old homes. I want something new, green, low maintenance, and very energy efficient.
Kenilworth - I did not find most of this area walkable. As you climb the hills in that area there are fewer sidewalks, narrower streets and no shoulders on the streets. Walking would be a nightmare.
As for West Ash; it is okay. The shops and so forth are not as concentrated as in the downtown area and some of the neighborhoods I looked at were a bit "scruffy" looking. I was not so concerned about crime, but I did want a nice, well kept neighborhood. It was evident that some homeowners took great pride in their homes and some not so much. A mixed bag.
North Asheville was the closest I came to finding a place. But, then you only have a limited amount of shops and depending where you are in North Ash, the walk to town could be a long one.
So, unless my realtor can work a miracle I am not going to move to Asheville. But, that's all my personal experiences and my personal needs. Different strokes for different folks. I hope you find what you are looking for.
A good summation. A few years ago we owned a second home in Kenilworth Forest, a nice little neighborhood just east of town, thinking we might someday retire there (from Florida). When people say they want "walkable", I always wonder what each individually means. To me, "walkable" would mean you could get to everything you need for day-to-day living within a few blocks (under one mile) which would include at the very least grocery shopping, drugstores, restaurants, library, parks, and entertainment. For some people a mile or two walking is not out of the question. Based on this, Asheville is NOT walkable, especially if you throw in the steep terrain. People trying to find newer housing like the above poster are even more out of luck, but that goes for almost anywhere, the neighborhoods closest to downtowns are ALWAYS the oldest!
I agree that Asheville is a unique and charming city, but a small one, and for people looking for that lifestyle, it just doesn't fill the bill. You know, it's really not just the south that doesn't have "walkable" cities, it's all over the country except for some cities in the NE, and a few like Chicago or San Francisico. I think it's unreasonable for people to move from large areas like that and think they will find the same lifestyle. At the end of the day, make some compromises and live in a nice convenient neighborhood not far from town and where you can walk to a few things and it's an easy bike or bus ride to the rest.
Thanks Thitzler, that was really helpful. I don't want to go there with any false ideas of what is there, so appreciate the perspective. It's harder than I imagined, now that retirement is two years away, finding a location that has what we are looking for. We'll check Asheville out and maybe adjust our priorities or keep looking.
I am in a similar situation; retired and looking for a nice, walkable neighborhood. I was in Asheville last summer for 1 month and just this past week. I don't want to bring you down, but I did not find what I was looking for. And, I am very disappointed because I really like Asheville, and NC in general. Ash is a great town with lots to do and a good variety of places to eat and shop, a nice library, etc. I find the people there very nice. But, yeah, no grocery store in town.
Update...yes there is! Harris Teeter and Trader Joe's are joining Whole Foods/Greenlife Market on Merrimon Avenue just north of I-240.
Agreed, it's not as walkable as some other cities, like Portland or Boulder, but for NC, it's about as good as it gets (you're taking your life in your own hands walking in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte etc.).
Oh, and as to crime in WAVL, it's been greatly exaggerated. I haven't had a single problem in the two years I've been here.
Just as your comment regarding other cities in NC. Taking your life in your hands walking in Greensboro/Winston-Salem or Raleigh/Durham? I can't attest to Charlotte but can tell you're way off base with the other two metro areas.
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Taking your life in your hands walking in Greensboro/Winston-Salem or Raleigh/Durham? 
I can't attest to Charlotte but can tell you're way off base with the other two metro areas.
