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My husband and I have Asheville on our short list of places to semi-retire to in 18 months. We currently live in a condo in an urban neighborhood and walk to shops, pubs, restaurants, bank,farmers market etc. We love this lifestyle and our neighborhood but hate the long dreary winters that force us indoors for 5 months of the year. We will 58 and 62 so still very active. We will be in Asheville for a week in Sept to check it out. Can anyone suggest neighborhoods where we would find this. Schools don't matter, we're empty nesters. Thanks, Meb
Meb,
I am doing the same thing you are which is looking at Asheville, NC to retire. Have you come across an Independent Senior Living Community that you thought was good?
Sandy
Asheville, despite its claims, isn't a very walkable community. For example if you were living downtown, you would have a few restaurants and tourist stores to walk to, but you couldn't walk to the grocery, hardware, or anything else like that stores which are out of downtown. And compared to cities up north I think you will be severely disappointed.
West Asheville is the only area that I'd consider really walkable and might be a bit better choice wise but I'm not sure if there are condos there? It might just be all houses.
Sandy, I haven't looked at Senior communities, not sure what is there. Saucystargazer, is West Ashville an ok area? It seems a lot of people talk about a higher crime rate there.
Dear MebOhio,
If you could live just north of downtown, those are some nice older neighborhoods with sidewalks, big old trees, green spaces. You can walk or bike throughout and from there to downtown, cross a choice of several bridges with sidewalks over the I-240 freeway, some bridges have very little traffic, and those neighborhoods are either the Montford Historic District or the N Charlotte Street/Grove Park areas. There are also lots of condos of varying character and price right inside the downtown district.
There's a newer hardware store "Asheville Hardware" in south downtown just a few blocks past the U.S. Post Office near the bus station, right off Coxe Avenue,they renovated an older building. And there's a modern-built grocery store "Greenlife Grocery" just a couple blocks north of downtown proper on Merrimon, open seven days a week, mostly organic, but they have everything you can imagine for ALL your regular grocery needs. You do not have to cross a freeway to get to the grocery from the N Asheville neighborhoods I mentioned, but just watch the areas within a couple blocks of the freeway, somewhat rundown in places, so cut thru just north of those places.
GG
Asheville is not a "walkable city" by any stretch of the imagination. The only way you could walk to anything is if you lived in some loft apartment for $1300 a month, and even then all you could walk to would be a couple restaurants and a coffee house or something. I would suggest one of two options:
1) Get a car.
2) Consider a different city, such as Boulder, CO; or quite a few Western college towns.
I don't live downtown, but if I did I'd be fine with just shoes. Maybe a scooter with a basket.
Between the bakeries, the co-op, the produce in the Grove Arcade, and the drug store on Patton- I'd have access to everything I need.
The CVS being replaced by Urban Outfitters and now the Downtown Market going under are blows, but Solace restaurant is gradually offering all of their raw materials for sale and a few other business owners I know are planning to help fill the void.
Walkable? Heh! Can't tell you how many times I've tripped on the anarchic sidewalks around here. 3 years ago, I watched a poor lady snap her heels off on one of the tree grates and knock herself out. I've learned to stare at my feet as I walk.
Thanks for the info, I am going to check out West Asheville and the northern neighborhoods. Shipof fools, I have a car, actually when my kids were in high school and we lived in the suburbs, we had four. We're very familiar with the jump in your car and drive 15 minutes everytime you need to run an errand or want to go out for a bite. It's what we want to avoid. Xenah, I will post my thoughts on the area when we return in Sept.
Dear MebOhio,
If you could live just north of downtown, those are some nice older neighborhoods with sidewalks, big old trees, green spaces. You can walk or bike throughout and from there to downtown, cross a choice of several bridges with sidewalks over the I-240 freeway, some bridges have very little traffic, and those neighborhoods are either the Montford Historic District or the N Charlotte Street/Grove Park areas. There are also lots of condos of varying character and price right inside the downtown district.
There's a newer hardware store "Asheville Hardware" in south downtown just a few blocks past the U.S. Post Office near the bus station, right off Coxe Avenue,they renovated an older building. And there's a modern-built grocery store "Greenlife Grocery" just a couple blocks north of downtown proper on Merrimon, open seven days a week, mostly organic, but they have everything you can imagine for ALL your regular grocery needs. You do not have to cross a freeway to get to the grocery from the N Asheville neighborhoods I mentioned, but just watch the areas within a couple blocks of the freeway, somewhat rundown in places, so cut thru just north of those places.
GG
If you lived like, say off North Merrimom near Ingles, that would more convenient. There's a few restaurants up that way, and 2 groceries, and a hardware store and banks. Pretty area too. Not sure if they have apt. buildings there or not. It's near Grove Park Inn too. Maybe there's condos there, try look & see.
Good luck. Do you not have a car?
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North Asheville is a nice area...
