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Kjun09, good point. I didn't drive through the old downtown of Burnsville. However, I don't recall the topography as being mountainous or very hilly, which is my preference. I did cover a lot of area, probably too much, so I may not be remembering it correctly. I do plan to visit WNC again later this year.
Castlechurch, any towns in TN that you suggest? I didn't care for Mountain City or Gatlinburg.
Kjun09, good point. I didn't drive through the old downtown of Burnsville. However, I don't recall the topography as being mountainous or very hilly, which is my preference. I did cover a lot of area, probably too much, so I may not be remembering it correctly. I do plan to visit WNC again later this year.
Castlechurch, any towns in TN that you suggest? I didn't care for Mountain City or Gatlinburg.
Thanks!
Honestly if you are still just desiring to be within a 30 minute drive of a small town, I think the area bounded by the NC border over to Kingsport would be a good place to start. Elizabethton is my personal choice for that area. It is bigger than Mountain City, but still a small town; it also is close to Johnson City, which is larger again.
Kjun09, good point. I didn't drive through the old downtown of Burnsville. However, I don't recall the topography as being mountainous or very hilly, which is my preference. I did cover a lot of area, probably too much, so I may not be remembering it correctly. I do plan to visit WNC again later this year.
Castlechurch, any towns in TN that you suggest? I didn't care for Mountain City or Gatlinburg.
Thanks!
The Burnsville area is actually fairly mountainous and hilly. I am about 10 minutes from town square and up in the mountains. My place is at around 2600/2700 feet or so in elevation which is low by Colorado standards but steep dirt/gravel road, 4x4 required, tons of trees, deer and wildlife everywhere. You definitely feel away from it all.
I do agree you don't get much of that mountain feel around town and you do have to venture a little out to feel it so I am sure there are better places. Another issue with Burnsville is housing which can be hard to come by. So many places are vacation rentals. We actually have family in this area which is what brought us here.
For years I thought about settling in Colorado myself (lived in Colo Springs for 8 years). But yeah house prices are nuts. My absolute favorite place in Colorado was Lake City, a bit south of Gunnison. Its gotten more touristy over the years but last I was there, still wasn't too bad. If the world settles down and housing normalizes, I may look to move there after my kids are out of school. Good luck in your searches.
Kjun09, good info. Clearly, I missed Burnsville's attractions. Definitely warrants another look.
I'm very familiar with the Lake City area. Most recently, was there last fall and hiked a couple of 14ers. Unfortunately, Lake City is suffering the same fate that many other cool Colorado mountains towns have met. The town and the nearby 4x4 roads such as Cinnamon Pass, Engineer Pass, etc. are overrun with ATVs. The town allows ATVs to be ridden on the street, and the noise never stops. Seems like most of the visitors now are from Texas...
Landy Burnsville is a rural country town. Small and walkable in size and sets in a valley but then if you came thru the area you would know that . There a couple events a year that draw craftsmen form around the area to town for a crafts fair and then there's the christmas parade . IF you need events This is not your area. But then most everything can be found on-line and even the hilly terrain can be seen on google map 2d if you sign in . Always smart to visit down town , park and take a walk and see burnsville .
A lot of time can be wasted here asking questions and second guessing as it really only matters to you and !! .
Kjun09, good point. I didn't drive through the old downtown of Burnsville. However, I don't recall the topography as being mountainous or very hilly, which is my preference. I did cover a lot of area, probably too much, so I may not be remembering it correctly. I do plan to visit WNC again later this year.
Castlechurch, any towns in TN that you suggest? I didn't care for Mountain City or Gatlinburg.
Thanks!
Keep in mind that much of the higher elevation land in east TN is protected park or national forest. There are far more buildable lots at 3000'+ or so in WNC than east TN.
Visited WNC again last week. Narrowed the areas that interest me down somewhat. He are my observations in no particular order.
Black Mountain - spent the night and morning there. Very cute town, but I suspect it gets pretty busy on the weekends, especially during nice weather. The Pisgah National Forest is relatively close to the town itself. Given its proximity to Asheville, real estate prices may be a bit higher than other areas. May consider it further.
Burnsville - cute little downtown. Nice setting with national forest and mountain views nearby. Relatively close to Asheville. Merits further consideration.
Lake Junaluska - spent a few nights there. Very nice setting with the lake and the mountains in the background. Very nice place to visit, but not interested in living there.
Maggie Valley - drove through the area. Seemed very touristy and over developed, which is unfortunate since it's a scenic valley. Not considering it further.
Bryson City - very cute downtown. Like the river flowing through town. Adjacent to national park, so has lots of outdoor opportunities. A bit far from Asheville. Merits further consideration.
Nantahala Gorge area - beautiful area with the river flowing through it. Likely wouldn't want to live in the area with all the traffic and visitors.
Murphy - cute downtown, but too flat and far from Asheville. Also seemed hotter and more humid than other areas I visited. Perhaps it's due to the lower elevation and distance from the mountains.
Sylva and Franklin - cute downtowns with nice settings, but they are a bit far from Asheville. May consider them further.
Drive on US 74 from Sylva to Waynesville is very scenic. Liked this area a lot.
Waynesville - very cute downtown and good size. Spent some time driving around the area including areas north and through Clyde and Canton. I read that the paper mill can produce some unpleasant smells, but the town is cute. This entire area merits further consideration.
Drove segments of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Very scenic.
Hiked Mt. Mitchell via the Old Mitchell Trail, Crabtree Falls, Andrews Bald, and Clingman's Dome. All very scenic, but lots of people at the observation decks. To me, the hiking trails and mountains don't have the awe inspiring views and vistas that are found in the west, but still scenic nonetheless. I do like the green and all the creeks, rivers, and lakes. Much less of those features in the west.
While there, the temps were, generally, in the high 80s to low 90s. Humidity was tolerable, but I read that the humidity was lower than typical and was expected to increase later in the week. Did rain while in Lake J., which was nice.
I don't necessarily want to live in any of these towns, but would like to be close to them, so I'll search real estate on a county level, e.g., Yancy, Haywood, etc. My ideal location would be 5 acres or more with views. That is, I don't want to be down in a canyon where I can't see the horizon. I would like to have relatively good access to national forests or the national park, and possibly a river or lake for kayaking or canoeing.
Real estate prices are high, but still cheaper than in the west. That is, I think I can get more for my money in WNC than in the west.
Thoughts or recommendations for other areas to investigate?
Visited WNC again last week. Narrowed the areas that interest me down somewhat. He are my observations in no particular order.
Black Mountain - spent the night and morning there. Very cute town, but I suspect it gets pretty busy on the weekends, especially during nice weather. The Pisgah National Forest is relatively close to the town itself. Given its proximity to Asheville, real estate prices may be a bit higher than other areas. May consider it further.
Burnsville - cute little downtown. Nice setting with national forest and mountain views nearby. Relatively close to Asheville. Merits further consideration.
Lake Junaluska - spent a few nights there. Very nice setting with the lake and the mountains in the background. Very nice place to visit, but not interested in living there.
Maggie Valley - drove through the area. Seemed very touristy and over developed, which is unfortunate since it's a scenic valley. Not considering it further.
Bryson City - very cute downtown. Like the river flowing through town. Adjacent to national park, so has lots of outdoor opportunities. A bit far from Asheville. Merits further consideration.
Nantahala Gorge area - beautiful area with the river flowing through it. Likely wouldn't want to live in the area with all the traffic and visitors.
Murphy - cute downtown, but too flat and far from Asheville. Also seemed hotter and more humid than other areas I visited. Perhaps it's due to the lower elevation and distance from the mountains.
Sylva and Franklin - cute downtowns with nice settings, but they are a bit far from Asheville. May consider them further.
Drive on US 74 from Sylva to Waynesville is very scenic. Liked this area a lot.
Waynesville - very cute downtown and good size. Spent some time driving around the area including areas north and through Clyde and Canton. I read that the paper mill can produce some unpleasant smells, but the town is cute. This entire area merits further consideration.
Drove segments of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Very scenic.
Hiked Mt. Mitchell via the Old Mitchell Trail, Crabtree Falls, Andrews Bald, and Clingman's Dome. All very scenic, but lots of people at the observation decks. To me, the hiking trails and mountains don't have the awe inspiring views and vistas that are found in the west, but still scenic nonetheless. I do like the green and all the creeks, rivers, and lakes. Much less of those features in the west.
While there, the temps were, generally, in the high 80s to low 90s. Humidity was tolerable, but I read that the humidity was lower than typical and was expected to increase later in the week. Did rain while in Lake J., which was nice.
I don't necessarily want to live in any of these towns, but would like to be close to them, so I'll search real estate on a county level, e.g., Yancy, Haywood, etc. My ideal location would be 5 acres or more with views. That is, I don't want to be down in a canyon where I can't see the horizon. I would like to have relatively good access to national forests or the national park, and possibly a river or lake for kayaking or canoeing.
Real estate prices are high, but still cheaper than in the west. That is, I think I can get more for my money in WNC than in the west.
Thoughts or recommendations for other areas to investigate?
Thanks!
Did you visit the Saluda, Brevard, Hendersonville, Weaverville areas?
I visited Saluda, Brevard, and Hendersonville during my previous visit. Saluda wasn't appealing to me. Liked the town of Brevard and the proximity to the forest and water falls, but not as mountainous as I'd like. I drove through, but don't recall much about Hendersonville. Is it forested and/or mountainous. Didn't visit Weaverville. Is it forested/mountainous, proximity to national or state forests, lakes, rivers, etc.?
Sounds like you have a good idea of where you may want to be already, but since you are still interested in looking I have another suggestion. There was a thread earlier in the year under the city-data discussing West Jefferson NC. It is a small town maybe much further out than you want, and I have never been there myself but found the comments vey interesting. It is a short thread but the link posted by one of the commenters led to a much older thread and comments there described the area quite thoroughly. Does sound more isolated than you want tho. Good Luck in your search..It was interesting to read about your travels in WNC. Do let us know how this story ends and where you land in the NC mountains
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