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Wife and I, mid 50s, retired, and our trusty lab visiting different areas for our retirement place.
We LOVE the NC coast, have owned a place in the OBX, and have visited all over ENC many times. We were very close to buying a 2nd home, to be retirement home, in/around Swansboro...until Flo hit...then Michael hit Fla. So now we’re thinking the coast isn’t for us. We stressed owning in OBX each hurricane season and now that we don’t have the property, watching what others deal with is just more risk than we want. It’s stressful and hard.
Last October we spent a month in a rental just outside Bryson City thinking the mountains might be it. We love the mountains to visit; could we live there? BC area extended was unbelievably beautiful but it just wasn’t for us long term.
This year we’re thinking Hendersonville, maybe not so far west NC might be a better fix. Will probably do VRBO and stay 2-3 weeks.
Would love to hear thoughts, advice, anything, from those in the know. Thanks.
Wife and I, mid 50s, retired, and our trusty lab visiting different areas for our retirement place.
We LOVE the NC coast, have owned a place in the OBX, and have visited all over ENC many times. We were very close to buying a 2nd home, to be retirement home, in/around Swansboro...until Flo hit...then Michael hit Fla. So now we’re thinking the coast isn’t for us. We stressed owning in OBX each hurricane season and now that we don’t have the property, watching what others deal with is just more risk than we want. It’s stressful and hard.
Last October we spent a month in a rental just outside Bryson City thinking the mountains might be it. We love the mountains to visit; could we live there? BC area extended was unbelievably beautiful but it just wasn’t for us long term.
This year we’re thinking Hendersonville, maybe not so far west NC might be a better fix. Will probably do VRBO and stay 2-3 weeks.
Would love to hear thoughts, advice, anything, from those in the know. Thanks.
About what? Hendersonville? You might want to ask more specific questions, or offer more specific criteria about what you're looking for, as you'll get better responses. You might also want to read through the many existing threads on H'ville, as that may answer some of your questions, or possibly spark questions to ask:
Iconic11 You might want to check out Yancey county too , Not a tourist based county and no heavy traffic while doing basic things like trying to go to a grocery even . Crimes very low and tax's are lower than most areas too and your dollar will go farther here than in many area's and Mountain Air Community might interest you as there getting more year rounds there each year .
We love Hendersonville, but it's not perfect. It has one of the most beautiful central town areas in the U.S., but traffic can be bad at times. It really depends on what you're looking for. For us, we chose the Hendersonville/Flat Rock area, because it had most of what we were looking for (restaurants, shops, proximity to medicare care, relatively close to mountains, etc.). Brevard was a close second. I like the idea of staying for 2-3 weeks. This will give you a much better idea.
We love Weaverville (north of Asheville) as it feels like a real mountain town. We can be in Asheville in 15 minutes or high on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the same time. All of our family needs are met here without the congestion of south Asheville.
The Hendersonville area while nice, is the first place many folks look into (as did we) when considering the area. Once here though many move on due to the congestion of the area. Just an opinion and good luck either way!
I look forward to hearing what you think about it. We have vacationed in the area a number of times from Florida and really love it. We, too, are considering retiring in the area—but it won’t be for quite some time. We’re getting pretty nervous about these hurricanes down this way.
There a number of small towns here, Hendersonville being one of the 'larger small towns'. Each one is unique and appeals to different folks. You just have to visit here a lot to get a good feel for which you like and fits your needs the most. We visited the area for 25+ years before we decided on the Hendersonville/Flat Rock area. It probably won't take you as long as it did us, but the point is you must visit at least several times to get a feel for the different areas. For us, it boiled down to Hendersonville/Flat Rock with Brevard being a close second. As I noted earlier, Hendersonville isn't perfect, no place is. But for us, it checked off a lot of boxes and is just very 'livable'. It is the largest of the small towns, and because of that, has more to offer, including restaurants, retail, medical (doctors, 2 hospitals, etc.). The area nearby offers a lot of activities, including hiking, fishing, etc. Three beautiful lakes, some of the most beautiful in the U.S. IMO, are within an hours drive, so if you're into boating/fishing that's a plus. The Blue Ridge Parkway is also nearby. The Hendersonville area is home to several very good wineries; have been surprised at just how good some of them are. We also love Sierra Nevada Brewery between Hendersonville and Asheville. The NC state theatre is in Flat Rock and has some excellent productions. Has a wonderful location between Asheville and Greenville, both of which are great cities and have a lot to offer in their own right. Some have noted Hendersonville has a relatively large number of retirees. As a future retiree, I don't see that as a disadvantage. That's probably one reason Hendersonville has the number of nice grocery stores, restaurants, and other retail it does. The other small towns all have things about them that are wonderful, but they just didn't suit us as well. So I encourage you to visit and learn as much as you can.
Last edited by Lizap; 10-21-2018 at 11:43 AM..
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