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Planning to retire in 5-6 years and just starting to look into potential areas we'd consider as possible relocation destinations. Asheville / greater Western NC is one possibility. We will be spending some time there later this fall to explore some of the locations/developments. One area that seems like it might fit our desires is the development immediately surrounding / on the Reems Creek golf course. For those who know the area, what are your impressions of the Weaverville area and the quality of the housing and development at Reems Creek?
We are interested in a nice area, reasonably sized lots, pleasant views, and convenient access to area activities/services. Schools are important from the standpoint of an indicator of quality of life and desirability of an area but obviously they are not our #1 consideration.
Any input on other similar areas that you think are better or that we should also consider taking a look at? Any general comment on pros/cons of locating north of Asheville vs other directions? Any insights are appreciated.
Hi, Researching Retirement. Exciting, isn't it? We're moving to NC as soon as we sell our house in San Diego. Like you, we planned way ahead....
We've visited the entire Greater Asheville Area for many years and love it! Last year we did an intensive/extensive six-week study of all the communities our realtor suggested we see, and some we found for ourselves--and got lucky enough to take in the annual "Homes on Parade," so we saw a ton of developments. We were attracted to quite a few at the time.
We decided, though, that there's more for retirees in the north of Asheville because the University of North Carolina-Asheville is located there, just minutes north of the town. That university has a College for Seniors (can you believe?), which offers its members tons of inexpensive programs, courses, lectures, brunches, field trips, and special interest groups. (Membership is $40/yr. for a couple, if I recall.) What a wonderful way to "make a difference" in your new community while making a multitude of social contacts with people of shared interests! We think the university is one great reason to love the north.
It's also a lot quieter there, traffic-wise, than almost anywhere else around Asheville. That will change over time, I'm sure, but it will ALL change proportionately and the north will still be, we think, quieter. That's because most working people want to be closer in to town, especially its busy south side, which is becoming one long commercial/residential development stretching from Asheville almost into Hendersonville. So that whole area is busier than many retirees would prefer.
If you search this forum, you'll find a few comments about Weaverville, all positive! It's a charming, cute little town with good eateries, a bank, boutique and antique shops... and coming soon are a Loews and Walmart Super Store, in case those interest you.
We suggest you might want to look at "Pinebrook Farms," a new development in Weaverville (only four house/land packages sold so far out of 120-130). It's the nicest thing we found in the area. It features a great location, clubhouse, pool, fitness center, and will no doubt attract "active adults" (no playground or game courts, relatively smaller houses than elsewhere).
Here's a link (our contact is Molle McGregor):
Lifestyle Homes of Distinction - New Home Builder Asheville (http://www.lifestylehomes.net/pinebrook.php - broken link)
We looked at the Reems Creek area, but we're not golfers and wanted our community to be a little closer to the city, have a little less rural feel. Pinebrook Farms is two minutes from I-26 or Weaverville Road (the two main routes to Asheville), six minutes to the exit for the university, eight minutes to the north edge of Asheville, and ten minutes to anywhere in town. You can't beat that!
Hope I didn't tell you more than you wanted to know (heh heh). Feel free to ask only the questions I can answer (heh heh), and best of luck to you!!
Hi, Thanks for the reply and all the good info. We'll look into your suggestion of Pinebrook Farms for consideration. UNCA nearby and quieter traffic-wise are certainly plusses for a north side location.
We're looking forward to being able to get a first-hand look and a sense of the feel of the area. On this trip we'll be trying to get a broad general impression of several areas but having some idea of the pros and cons ahead of time will help us plan where to spend our time wisely.
Good luck with the sale of your house in San Diego and relocation to NC! And thanks again for the reply.
Dear Parkies: I had pretty much selected Marshall until my wife found (on the internet) some great houses in Fairview (the one w/n 15 min of Asheville.) We haven't been there, but one realtor site I saw gave it an atrocious air quality ranking. Yet individuals I talk to say it has good clean air. Do you know which is true? Did your research include air and water quality? BTW, I'm a former Californian and a UCLA grad who settled in Tampa. JM
Dear Parkies: I had pretty much selected Marshall until my wife found (on the internet) some great houses in Fairview (the one w/n 15 min of Asheville.) We haven't been there, but one realtor site I saw gave it an atrocious air quality ranking. Yet individuals I talk to say it has good clean air. Do you know which is true? Did your research include air and water quality? BTW, I'm a former Californian and a UCLA grad who settled in Tampa. JM
Hi, jmackay54!
Sorry, our research did not include air or water quality, though we have no concerns about the water in the Asheville area based on personal experience. The best water we have ever had (we're pretty well traveled) came from western Pennsylvania where I grew up--it tasted as if it was drawn from a fresh, clean well (great for shampooing, too, BTW--man, that water is soft!) Anyway, the point is that we were equally impressed with water from the Asheville area--seemed just like "home." Disclaimer: There may be toxins in that Asheville-area water. We have no idea. We only know that if that water is gonna kill us, we'll choose to die anytime next Tuesday!
We are also not at all experts on air quality in the Asheville area, but we recall reading posts on that very subject and suggest you search the topic "air quality." From what I recall from reading those, Tennessee factories spew toxins over the mountains into Asheville (they're working on the problem, as I recall). Since Asheville itself is a bowl surrounded by those mountains, toxins get trapped there.
But all is relative! Is Asheville air quality as bad as it is in Los Angeles or San Diego or any number of other places? Hmmm... And it may not be quite the same problem even in Fairview or Marshall or Weaverville--it may even be significantly different--yes--even a 20-minute drive away from Asheville's city center.
But I'm not at all sure of that. My logic may, in fact, be like suggesting that global warming won't hurt us in San Diego because we're right next to the ocean.
In any case, we're going to take our chances with air and water quality in western NC, figuring they can't be much worse there than they are here in this big (San Diego) city. We, too, have days when sensitive people are advised to stay indoors, and there's no place in the entire USA(!) that has perfectly clean air, according to a recent post. (Again, I wouldn't know.)
Certainly it's all relative. Certainly your personal age and health should determine how seriously you need to take the charts and statistics. Charts and stats are valuable but only when filtered through your own personal experience, knowledge, and requirements. In our sixties and seventies, for example, we really aren't too worried about dying young from unclean air.
Which brings up a vital question: Are you retired or soon retiring?? That could make a huge difference in your choice between Marshall and Fairview!
And I would also ask: Are you sure the realtor website you saw referred specifically to Fairview? What did it say about Asheville? How did those compare? How good is that website (lots of junk out there) as a source of reliable information?
We CAN tell you this: Marshall and Fairview are worlds apart, if we understand previous posts. We've never been to Marshall (can't wait!), but we can tell you that Fairview (yes! some great houses there!--we frothed at the mouth) is south and a bit east of Asheville--about 15 or 20 minutes into town. We found it to be an area loaded with new developments, with many more no doubt to come. Right now a fairly quiet road leads there, but we think you can count on very heavy traffic in the foreseeable future. It's a convenient location for people who work in or near the Asheville city limits. Marshall is comparatively not so convenient, since it's maybe 20 minutes' drive to the north edge of Asheville. As we understand it, Marshall is, in general, most appropriate for natives and retirees.
But--again--we don't LIVE in NC yet so can give you only what we know from our 16 years of research and fond visits, in case that's helpful (and since you asked).
Will those of you who can correct our (mis)information, please speak up!!
P.S. to jmackay54:
I'm a USC graduate. [For those who don't know, USC (University of Southern California) and UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) are fierce competitors.]
Just know, jmackay54, that you're talking to your infinitely superior superior!!
There's the rub - I'm retiring, my wife is not. I don't want to be around traffic, construction, developments. She wants to be close to work. It's a dilemma.
There's the rub - I'm retiring, my wife is not. I don't want to be around traffic, construction, developments. She wants to be close to work. It's a dilemma.
I can relate. Bill retired, I didn't. So one day I invited him into my business--he eagerly accepted--when I was 58 years old and he was 65. We worked closely together for the next eight years, some of the best years of our lives! However, since we provided music for weddings, we often had to leave home an hour or two ahead of the wedding, even though it might be just 30-45 minutes away in "normal" traffic. We worked an average of three weddings a week (over 150 a year). Since our big-city freeway traffic was unpredictable--and given our fear of getting hopelessly stuck in it while our sweet bride and groom wondered where we were--the situation sometimes seemed almost intolerable. At times we suffered from so much road stress that we questioned why we were doing this. Yet we chose to do this--we didn't have to--because it was on many levels so wonderfully rewarding!!
SO: Is there any chance you might share in your wife's work, if only in a supporting role (as my husband did)? Or could you start an entirely new enterprise together that you could both feel excited about? If so, you might find yourself overlooking the "traffic, construction, developments" if being among them meant interesting new experiences and new married fun and joy!
OR... surely there must be opportunities for compromise--some spot between city and rural--without making you both unhappy.... Marriage, in our experience, is a lot about compromise....
Whatever your decisions, we wish you all the BEST! Even SEMI-retirement--if that's what keeps you pulling together--can be a wonderful world!
Hi, Thanks for the reply and all the good info. We'll look into your suggestion of Pinebrook Farms for consideration.
Researching Retirement,
While we still recommend Weaverville for a great location for active senior living, our final experience with Pinebrook Farms was very disappointing. (Feel free to email for details if you like.) And now we're looking again at Hendersonville!
Jan & Bill
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Interesting dilemma hits home!
