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About: I'm 29 and live with my mother (late 50s), my brother (mid 20s), and our small cairn terrier/chihuahua mix about 19 minutes from Allentown PA. Looking for: Pet friendly 3 bedroom apartment or townhouse. Looking at: The Asheville area (particularly Asheville) Rent limit: 1,395
I have done a lot of research, but a lot of forum posts are several years old and I get conflicting information from some websites. I figure it'd be best to hear it from people currently living here.
I realize that the job market isn't great, but it's not any worse than here based on everything I've researched. We would not move without having a job lined up.
Questions
- Is it unbearable in summer? Are there a lot of severe storms? Is there a lot of snow in the winter? Basically, how's the weather?
- I've read that traffic is bad but it's hard to tell whether or not it's worse than here? We get a lot of big tractor trailors on the road here.
- Has anyone moved from somewhere around Allentown PA to the Asheville area? Would you consider it a good move or a bad one?
Yeah good luck with the rent. Most places in Asheville start at $1456 for an apartment. Houses $1400 and up over $2000. Pay rate here is $7.25. It's better if you are in the medical field. Not many jobs here.
Summer can be hot, in the 90's. One day can be hot and the next chilly. Mother Nature has a mind of her own. Pollen can be pretty bad. A lot of people freak out with a dusting of snow on the ground or when it rains.
Certain roads it's best to stay off of during 4-6 if you can. Hendersonville Rd was not that bad, until just recently (like in May). Ever since Publix opened and the new apartment. Traffic is really bad. What used to take us 5 minutes to get to our daughter's daycare now takes about 30 minutes to get to. I avoid going out between 4-6 and I come from Connecticut and drove in rush hour before. Patton Ave, Merrimon Ave, and Sweeten Creek are pretty bad at times as well.
As I said I moved here from CT and honestly, I hate it here. Been stuck here since 98. But I will say that not everyone feels as I do. It's all a matter of what is important to you. My boyfriend's mom has a friend who moved here from CT and she moved back because she hated that she had to have a car to get any where. Yes, we do have a bus, but not a lot and they don't go every where.
Winters are probably a lot more mild here then in PA. There is no place for Ice skating, or sledding, there are I think 1 or 2 places for skiing, about an hour away or more. Beaches are 4-5 hours away. There are plenty of places for hiking. Asheville is very dog friendly. Education is very bad here (something to think about for the future), I-40 and I-26 are backed up during rush hour.
To me Asheville is a place that is either or, not a lot of in between. I am also not the only one who feels that Asheville is clicky. If you don't fit in the click, you are on your own. I have seen a lot of people who act nice and friendly to your face then talk trash about you behind your back.
Again, I will say that not everyone will feel as I do. I do like the breweries around here. I used to hate beer, until I tried craft beer. For food delivery you either have Valet Gourmet, or pizza chains. Although even though I live off of Hendersonville Rd, no domino's delivers here. Carrier park is a great park to walk and a great place for dogs as well.
The best recommendation I can give is come and visit, not just once, but several times and visit in different seasons to get a better idea of what it is like. June, July and August are pretty much the hottest months. Jan and Feb are the coldest. March can be hit or miss with cold and warming up.
Visiting here will give you the chance to go and see apartment here. Where I live our Apartments are the biggest sq. footage, but there are problems here as well and 3 bdrm is starting at $1456. The brand new apts are 1200sqft-1300 and price the same or a lot more.
Judging by what I've read, it's slightly warmer there in the summer and a little bit warmer in the winter as well. Rent aside, one of the bigger concerns is traffic.
We would definitely visit before making a decision.
I'd like to hear from some people who are happy in Asheville as well (if there are any...?)
Judging by what I've read, it's slightly warmer there in the summer and a little bit warmer in the winter as well. Rent aside, one of the bigger concerns is traffic.
We would definitely visit before making a decision.
I'd like to hear from some people who are happy in Asheville as well (if there are any...?)
I suffered NYC traffic for 52 years...I'm happy I'm living in Asheville now.
What about surrounding areas? Areas that are more liberal a preferable but as long as there's a live and let live attitude going on there it should be fine I think.
I was looking at Fletcher in particular. Is this a nice area?
Gosh didn't realize it was so bad here until I read Christine's post. It is not the North East but not deep south either. We are in the mountains so like most mountain areas weather is variable and we get quick changes. Summers can be pretty humid but overall not much worse than parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Southern Illinois. There are many nice days and fall and spring here is great. Winters can have cold and snow, or not, seems to vary year to year but snow doesn't last long and most of the time winters are pretty decent with a good amount of sunshine. Compared to N.E. Ohio it is paradise in winter.
Jobs are an issue sorry to say and rent high but I'm not too knowledgeable about that. I have found people here friendly and Asheville offers alot for all age groups both outdoor or in the city. If you want a bigger city Knoxville or Charlotte an easy 2 hr drive or for even more Atlanta is 4 hrs but now thats a place with real traffic issues! Summer traffic can get old as we are a tourist mecca.All in all this is a good place with lots of pluses and as any where its what you make of it. Come visit only way to really find out. Good luck.
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