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I am contemplating moving from Colorado to NC. Love Asheville. I will not be working. I like cultural and outdoor activities. Which would you recommend? Waynesville, Hendersonville, Brevard (maybe too small as I like a city vibe? Or is there another place I should check out? Appreciate your imut
Asheville dominates the city vibe obviously compared to the others and culturally as well. Hendersonville has gained some steam in recent years due to its close proximity to Asheville and lower cost of living. Brevard is a seductress of a town that weirdly carries a touch of a city vibe, with a small but growing creative community. Waynesville is nice enough but falls short in comparison in the city vibe category especially.
They all have something to offer. Have you visited here? I encourage you to come for a visit, if you haven't done so. Asheville has a younger vibe and more cultural activities than the other towns you mentioned. They are all close to outdoor activities.
If you are Single, forget Brevard. I'm not, but I've been in Brevard for 5 weeks now, & it's a single's desert. Brevard is Mayberry RFD, & nightlife is limited. Brevard is clean & quaint, but only a few nice restaurants, & 1 regular live music nightspot. It's mostly closed by 10pm, & most nice restaurants close Sunday/Monday. They have a very nice symphony concert venue that mixes in other genres a bit, but not my kinda music. Its close to good biking & hiking....nice friendly bustling health & racquet club....kudos to the owner/s.
I never got up to Waynesville...too far North for me since I'm driving from/to SW Florida. I can't help you there.
I think you'll like Asheville the best. I wasn't going to go, but friends stayed there, and invited me over twice (so I'm no expert, but have a current & fresh perspective).
Asheville's cultural goings on, nightlife, & architecture makes it quite interesting...for me, it's the right size city...not too small, or big. Easier to meet people there than the smaller towns. Use the online crime maps to help guide you where to stay, or live. Be aware if downtown by yourself after dark, & avoid parking garages. I saw just 1 police officer in 2 full days there, & quite a few zombie's.
Hendersonville's 2x as large as Brevard, so you should spend time there, because you may still feel it has the small town vibe. I hated how they charge to park everywhere downtown, but that's just a peeve of mine. I parked at the visitor's center which is free..but limited. Their health & racquet club is cliquish, & lacks parking. More restaurants/nightlife tan Brevard, but still closes up early except Fri-Sat.
To live in the smaller towns, its helpful to have interests & activities that will help you meet others...if you are a social animal like me. My active pursuits put me in touch with dozens of nice peeps in Brevard, which saved the day for me.
The hiking, biking, waterfalls, mountains are all very good. The Mountains will seem smaller to you than Colorado's, & its not as rugged. I've only seen Deer once, which seems odd. I guess the bear thin out the deer. Not as much wildlife as I thought there'd be. I see more in Florida.
All are above the state average, but Asheville is close. As you can see, this area of WNC is predominately populated by older people. This demographic has an impact on the types of cultural activities in the area.
I have a friend who lives in Straus Park in Brevard who often sees bears and deer. We live about 15 minutes southwest of Hendersonville on the Brevard side and this area is abundant with deer, turkey, and bear (although we don't see them as often). There are many options for outdoor activities (e.g., hiking, biking) in the area. You may not see much wildlife during such activities, but they are definitely here.
As the previous poster indicated, Asheville is going to be your best bet for nightlife and cultural activities. Also, keep in mind, outside of Asheville, these are small mountain towns, with their own unique Appalachian flavor. As you're likely aware, we're at a lower elevation and much more green/lush. We have mild winters as well as mild summers.
If you are Single, forget Brevard. I'm not, but I've been in Brevard for 5 weeks now, & it's a single's desert. Brevard is Mayberry RFD, & nightlife is limited. Brevard is clean & quaint, but only a few nice restaurants, & 1 regular live music nightspot. It's mostly closed by 10pm, & most nice restaurants close Sunday/Monday. They have a very nice symphony concert venue that mixes in other genres a bit, but not my kinda music. Its close to good biking & hiking....nice friendly bustling health & racquet club....kudos to the owner/s.
The Brevard Lumberyards itself is impressive but currently in use only as an events venue. Perhaps now that businesses are beginning to flourish again it will resume its original purpose as an arts/creative space venue.
... I never got up to Waynesville...too far North for me since I'm driving from/to SW Florida. I can't help you there.
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beach43ofus posts are decent thumbnail(s) from a visitor spending a monthish in the mtns.
But, our EscapeWinterHouse in North Venice to our Waynesville Mtn home: 660 miles, and same FL addy to Brevard town center: 660 miles, per Goog maps.
OP from Denver needs to do a trip or two to western NC, spend some time in the areas he/she narrows down.
Otoh, every good place here is getting 'full' over the past two plus decades we have been here, just like every 'good place' to consider/move to is in the US, imo.
If the OP is coming from Denver, and wants any kind of urbanity (doesn't want a "small town") vibe, I don't see how anything could be recommended other than the city of Asheville.
I'm coming from a city of about 50,000, though it straddles a state line, so technically, two separate cities. In saying that, I thought Hendersonville would work well for me based on a number of factors. Outside the downtown, I found it too small, and while it's reasonably close to south Asheville for the bigger shopping needs, there were some things lacking that I wanted "closer to home" that I have now.
What is West Asheville like? I read its trendy, & on the upswing.
Urban, relatively high walkability for the area, good restaurants and bars, some interesting shops and businesses.
I don’t think you’d be interested in it at all. Cool place to hang out, but even I wouldn’t want to live there.
Last edited by Lizap; 09-05-2023 at 08:46 AM..
Reason: Off topic
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