Should i make the move to Asheville? (Washington: violent crime, find a job)

[ashevillebound]

My husband and I just got married and currently live in Colorado. I grew up in Athens, GA and him in Birmingham, AL. We are looking to move back to the south somewhere to be close to family, but we love the mountains and don’t want to give up our active lifestyle, so we are considering Asheville. I understand that Asheville was quite the place to move in 2007, so I am wondering if the town has changed in a good way or bad considering the population increase. Also, is there a lot of crime? One more question … is it really hard to find a job still?

Thanks!

[The Mule]

The answer to your question is going to depend on who you ask. True natives are probably going to say it has changed in a bad way to some degree. I can certainly understand the point of view. I have only a few years perspective and have not seen a lot of changes I can pin on the area. I'm not change-averse so my own opinion is probably not relevant, other than the huge influx of retirees has presented some issues (particularly driving).

Statistically, crime is higher than the national average. Violent crime is slightly higher, property crime is substantially higher (more than 1.5 x, seems to be the common number I see). My guess is that is due to the limited job potential in the area. Like anywhere else, the risk of violent crime is higher is some specific areas. In a lot of cases, my own belief is that law enforcement is "misguided" in its focus, sometimes paying attention to what the tourists see rather than more substantive issues.

My own perspective is probably skewed. I've lived in St. Louis, Phoenix, the SF/Oak/SJ bay area, the Washington DC area and now here. By comparison, I am not concerned wandering around here. There are places I would not recommend walking around at certain times of the night, but overall people who are aware of their surroundings are fine.

Finding a job may not be an issue. Finding a job that pays decently or a career is another story completely. If you have a job you can bring with you (telecommute), are in health care or you are an entrepreneur you'll be well ahead of the game. I'm told education is another field that has jobs but I don't know anyone in that field to say for sure.

A major employer or two in technology or manufacturing would do the area a world of good.

Again, these are my observations. Mileage may vary.

[Cofga]

Yes there are more people and more crowding but the traffic is very light compared to most urban areas. Job growth seems limited to the tourist industry with service jobs that are not very high-paying. If you have a medical-related profession you probably won't have trouble but don't move to the area without a job offer in hand or just want get by on slinging hash.

Crime stats are higher than the national averages but as just described are manageable. For example a woman was robbed of her purse and moped on Patton the other night at 11:30 PM. What the heck was she doing out riding a moped at 11:30 PM, inviting a robbing? Also last week there were several robberies of banks, a phone store, and a motel. Recently there was a spate of armed robberies where scooter owners were targeted. Really kind of strange stuff--sounds like druggies and meth-heads to me. Reminds me of the Wash DC drug-related crime waves of a decade ago.

There are lots of outdoors activities so you do have that one covered. Good luck with your decision--Larry

[blloyd]

Not unless you want to die an early death of boredom.