Once a good city, now a place one should avoid. - 8/14/2022

Lived around this city my entire life, and have spent countless hours in every part of it- at one point, Asheville was the place to be, it had a high standard of living, a low cost of living, and friendly, welcoming people, but the natives of the city have slowly been pushed out by people moving in from elsewhere. Transplants in and of themselves aren’t a problem, quite the opposite in fact, however, where Asheville is concerned, the people who’ve moved in have fundamentally transformed the city into something different, something more resembling west coast cities like San Francisco, than what you’d expect in a North Carolina city. The cost of housing has skyrocketed, and as of 2022, there are 15 known gangs operating in a city with under 100,000 residents, a shocking number given how low the crime rate is in the rest of the region. On top of that, Asheville has recently entered the top 1% of cities for crime, meaning that it is more dangerous than 99% of US cities, an unsettling number given how characteristically safe the rest of WNC is supposed to be. Roads leave much to be desired once you leave the downtown area, and much of the infrastructure wasn’t built to handle the increasing number of people living here, to the point where traffic is a serious problem just about everywhere. On top of this, and worst of all, Asheville is currently having a bleed-out effect as people in Asheville move to nearby areas for affordability, turning much of the rest of the region into a gigantic Asheville. That’s before even mentioning the number of retirees who’ve flocked here in recent years, all from predominantly one state that shall remain unmentioned. If you’re a Gen Z or Millennial, don’t expect to ever be able to afford to live here.

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What happened to Asheville? - 7/3/2021

Asheville has changed dramatically over the pass twenty years . At one time downtown and the charming family friendly neighborhoods within, reminded me of The Waltons now it resembles The Lord of the Flys. Asheville according to recent FBI stats is now in the Top 10% of the Most Violence City’s in America . Too make matters worse 1/3 of the police force has quite due to lack of local support. Getting voice mail when reporting a crime is not what you want, but Asheville is almost there. It’s a shame that a few vocal carpetbaggers can move into the area displace the locals and through the ballot box destroy a city . Natural beautiful, Southern charm, safety and history have been replaced by crime, homeless encampments, panhandlers, gunfire, high taxes and filth …

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Not what is appears to be - 6/19/2021

This city is very deceiving. Small but if you look close you see big liberal city problems in this town. Mainly because it is overwhelming liberal. Far left liberals.

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For such a small town it seemed unsafe - 1/2/2020

I recently visited some friends in Asheville, I was there for a week. It is a beautiful area, mountains and the town. I was excited to stay at a hotel right in Asheville where I could walk to shops and restaurants. Unfortunately there is something very odd about being in the town after dark. I never felt safe, the homeless population seems to be out of control and the number of times I heard police sirens while trying to sleep was crazy. I’ve lived in a few larger cities, live in DC now but this town really creeped me out. Maybe because everything closes so early but my next visit I’ll stick to hiking and biking and stay out of the actual town.

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Many outsiders have changed this town. - 9/25/2019

Asheville used to be a great place until the mass exodus of Floridians and Californians came to town. Now it is overpriced (feeling the same pain Washington State felt when Californians came calling) and it is hard to find sustainable work. I do love to visit because of the scenic beauty, but the South it used to be has changed because of the liberal demographic and also the crime has greatly climbed because of the same naivety taking over government. They love our milk and honey, but they want to complain and change everything. Guest that have overstayed their welcome and the true natives and locals can feel it.

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Check It Out-Asheville has something for Everyone! - 9/22/2019

Asheville and the greater metro area which includes the six county area around it is a truly up and coming community. I've owned a home there for most of the past 13 years. The pros: 1. WNC, in general, and Asheville, in particular, is beautiful. Set in the Blue Ridge mountains, the geography of the area is what initially draws most people to this part of the state. 2. Lots to do. If you like the outdoors, you will never want for activities. Hiking, biking, fishing, golfing, on and on... 3. Mild climate. With just enough elevation, the summers aren't too hot (at least not too long) and the winters aren't too cold (or at least not too long). 4. Health care is very good. Yes, there are lots of retirees, but HCA Mission Health has long been recognized as provider of quality healthcare. 5. Robust economy. For a fairly small community, there is lots of positive development with many new businesses, a healthy manufacturing community, and overall low unemployment below the national average. And as people continue to move into the area, it continues to fuel more activity. 6. Cost of living is still reasonable. While its gotten more expensive, especially housing, WNC still compares favorably especially with larger metro areas from which many people are moving. Cons: 1. With more people there is more traffic. 2. Taxes as a whole are on the high side with higher than average state income taxes and local sales taxes taking a bite out of the wallet. 3. If you like Bohemian, Asheville is for you. Having said that, the general politics of the region is a bit more progressive than i am, but i think everyone can find their place. Overall, for me, the pros outweigh the cons. There are a lot of naysayers who have posted some unflattering remarks about Asheville. Having been going to the region for well over 20 years now, i could not disagree more. This is a fun, vibrant, beautiful area that really requires a hard look for anyone, young or old, looking for a place to live. OK, if you're a city-slicker, it may not be for you...but for just about everyone else, I think it has some universal appeal.

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Hard to make a living and get decent housing - 7/9/2019

I lived there from 2000-2013. It's very hard to make a living wage and afford a rental much less a house. Since the job market is dominated by the service industry, the pay is not only low, but it's also seasonal (think tips if you're a server). Couple that with the fact that home prices have been skyrocketing for years and are out of reach for many residents due to at least two factors: 1) wealthier people from the North or Florida move there and buy homes at peak prices (because to them peak prices in Asheville are cheap) and/or 2) people have moved there as well-paid remote workers for their out-of-state/town employer. As expected the cost of rent followed suit. Many people need to have roommates to afford their apartment, and let's face it — if you're well out of college, it stinks having roommates. Or, people end up renting dumps, and there are plenty of those. Two-income households could swing a house purchase, but if they had kids or planned to, their expenses would be through the roof. When my salary finally broke $40k c. 2010, it was a big deal. The bookkeeper at my company, who was also a friend, said half jokingly, "I don't think they realize what they're paying you." I never thought I'd ever hit that benchmark (can you believe I called $40k a benchmark?) when I was living in Asheville. That's how hard it is to achieve that. Sure, that was nine years ago, but I've visited a few times since then. Things didn't seem to change except for the increase in traffic and more hotels. Over the last few years I'd occasionally look at Asheville job listings on Craig's List for curiosity's sake. It appeared to be even worse than when I was there. No full-time employment offers unless you're a truck driver. Mostly part time or contract employment, and not in industries that pay well. Previously I had two part-time non-profit jobs. It ended up being terrible because I didn't earn benefits, and one of those jobs was full time by nature. I was so stressed trying to get eight hours of work done in four. It really bothered me that so many people there would tell me Asheville is perfect, when I knew people struggling to get by. There's a big gap between the haves and have-nots. Those snow-capped mountains don't look so great when you can't pay your heating bill in February. Many people there are very delusional, in denial, or part of the wealthy minority that doesn't give a f---. When I was there, I learned that the drug scene was quite rampant, but most people are unaware of this. My bookkeeper friend's daughter hangs with some chemical friendly people, and the last year I was there five of her friends overdosed on one thing or another. There also isn't any diversity no matter what someone tells you. It's 70% white and has been for a long time. The only so-called diversity is within the white demographic: retirees, hippies, hipsters, skater kids. If you like the Portland-esque scene, make at least $50k (better make that $60k for comfort), have job security, or you're wealthily retired, you could consider living here. You'd also have to be cool with lots of traffic and temperatures in the teens right after Halloween. (That was my experience the last 2-3 years I lived there. Not sure about now.) You also have to be cool with living in a liberal echo chamber. And if you happen to tell people you occasionally eat at McDonald's, shop at Walmart, or drive an SUV, be prepared to be crucified.

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Wishing for the Good ol Days - 6/28/2019

20 years ago Asheville was a wonderful place to visit ,live, but now not so much today Violent gun crimes have increased over 50% in just 3 years, the city has always been liberal , but now the police have their hands tied , if they make an arrest the PC media jumps on them, seems it always becomes racial Middle class are forced (taxes) out for the wealthy , downtown parking is almost impossible to find, and you don't want to venture too far from safe areas

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Do your research. Visit before you buy - 5/18/2019

Don't believe all the hype. We travel a lot, domestic and international, and if a single day goes by that someone doesn't say "Oh, we LOVE Asheville" or "We are planning a move to Asheville" it is a rare day. Asheville is trendy. It is bringing millions of tourists annually to clog the downtown streets (tourists looking at tourists looking at hotels). Trendy means expensive. Planning to visit and want to stay downtown? Figure $300-500 per night in season. Want to move here? Figure $300k minimum for a 2 bedroom 1 bath bungalow in a trendy area. Condos downtown $600k-1.5m with beer tourists peeing on your front walk at 2AM. Do your research. Asheville is likely on the crest of a huge housing and tourist bubble. We rarely hear from tourists who visit who want to come back. Largely one and done. Before you even think of buying here, come and stay for a minimum of a week. Experience the traffic. Experience literally zero available parking downtown on the weekend (wonder why virtually NO locals are downtown on summer weekends?) Again, don't believe the CofC and tourist bureau hype. Do your own due diligence before you blindly jump on the bandwagon.

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Beautiful, unlivable city - 5/15/2019

Take a hard pass on Asheville. Beautiful area but there is no middle class (as in 0...none), only relocatees (often retirees) who have driven house prices thru the roof, and they are served by an army of low-paid hotel and restaurant workers who cannot afford to live here. Downtown is easy on the eyes, but is so laden with hotels that it is not the real, vibrant heart of a city that it should be, only mere window-dressing for tourists who pass each other on the street and drunkenly comment on what a lovely place we have here. It is a broken economy.

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Just don't do it - 4/8/2019

I was born in a neighboring county and have lived in western North Carolina for all of my life. We currently own a home in Asheville. The unfortunate part is that people are flocking to Asheville in droves, which causes the housing prices to skyrocket. An influx of affluent people has also caused a great gentrification of Asheville; the middle class does not exist in Asheville anymore. Many of the people I graduated from college with have 4 or 5 roommates and are working 2-3 jobs and barely making ends meet. I wish that we could move away from Asheville. If you would like a revealing and depressing real estate exercise, search for a 2,000 sq ft house for $300k in Asheville and then try searching with the same parameters in other NC cities (Charlotte, Raleigh, etc.). The good news is that the housing bubble of Asheville has to burst at some point. I feel like Asheville is currently en vogue, but, once the trend passes, there are far too many high-priced apartment complexes and hotels for Asheville to sustain long-term. Before you move to Asheville, secure a well paying job (good luck), childcare, and affordable housing. IF you are able to secure all three, then you can buy your Subaru and decorate it with a "keep Asheville weird" bumper sticker.

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Taxes and Cost of Living Kills Retirees - 3/27/2019

I have lived here, in retirement, for 5 years. Came from Dallas. We are senior citizens and live on a set budget. Although I consider myself wealthy, I have seen my worth decrease in the last 5 years, since moving here, because of the taxes and overall cost of living ... astronomical, as compared to Texas. I plan to sell my house this summer, just outside of Asheville, and move back to Texas where money goes allot further. Plus, these Democrats living here are nuts!

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Too expensive to breathe - 3/26/2019

I was born and raised about 20 miles from Asheville. In the 20-something years I can remember living in that area, the more I disliked, and eventually hated going anywhere near Asheville. In less than two decades, it went from a having family small town feel, to being an overpriced and overpopulated dump. WNC is absolutely breathtaking. Gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, great places to hike, swim... etc... But, prices are inflated without an inflation of means to pay those prices. I moved less than two miles away to SC, and the average home is almost $100k less. Visit if you like beautiful views and craft beer... don’t take up residence, unless you like paying double for housing and sitting in traffic constantly.

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Asheville, NC: Overpriced Dump - 3/15/2019

Quite simply, Asheville is a dump. The little "city" is trashy and restaurants and hotels grossly overpriced for nothing more than common fair. The area looks and feels poor and dirty with many street people (drug addicts) all over the streets, no escaping them. Housing, either homes or apartments, is ridiculously expensive and for no real reason. You can't find an apartment in the Asheville/hendersonville area for under $1,300 (1 bedroom). The houses are old (need $$ for repair/upkeep), on tiny lots, and again, overpriced. The main issues in the Western NC area are 1) No solid employment except seasonal tourism and taking care of the elderly, 2) Exreme wealth and extreme poverty with no real middle class, 3) Major drug issues (Crystal Meth, illegal opioids, etc), 4) Poor education, and stereotypical slow and stupid thinking and moving that drives northerners insane. If the locals can mess something up, they do. Hence depending upon those not born/raised in the area but rather transplants from northern areas. Your doctors, HVAC, electrician, auto mechanic, etc will likely be a transplant. And those transplants are exactly who you should be looking for in all service areas. The cost of food is more expensive than other areas including the urban/suburban Washington DC/NYC etc areas. Sales tax is 8.75%, hefty. Northerners will have a far more extreme "culture shock" to this area than they would if they moved to England. The poverty in this area is mindblowing and not hidden in the mountains but sitting near very expensive homes, with usual evergreen buffer used to block the myriad trailers and shacks. Again, extremes of wealth and poverty side-by-side. This area allows 10 chained dogs on a property which means a home can be surrounded by many neglected, abused dogs. Experts nothing from the police or sheriff regarding abused animals. Or non-stop barking. This area is backwards when it comes to abused, neglected animals and even children. The mountains are small mountains and not ugly flat. There is hiking and other outdoor activities and that's a plus (crowded but there). Weather used to be temperate but in the last 7 or so years it has become far more extreme: winters are bitter and summers very humid and hot. There goes one valid reason to move here. This area, Asheville and Hendersonville, is not an area that should be first on your list for moving or even visiting. Little more than an overpriced dump with small mountains and nothing more.

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Why We Passed on Asheville - 1/2/2019

Asheville is a cool city, no two ways about it. This is the Austin TX of NC, but -and here’s the kicker- without the jobs. The eclectic neighborhoods, the artsy vibe... there are fun eats and a good overall quality of living. Winter is never too harsh, but the skies are often gray and you will get the seasons. The nearby mountains offer great hiking in summer. If you are retired, or not in need of earned income, Asheville should be on your short list. Still, housing isnt cheap- your dollar will absolutely go further than in NY, CA or DC- but is Asheville the best fit for you? We (a 30 and 40 something couple) asked ourselves the same question. One of us works remotely out of NYC, and more sunshine, a fun and funky downtown, diversity of thought and in people... this was our ask. While we liked Asheville, many of the local transplants (read: advanced degrees, now working for $10 an hour in retail) warned us not to move unless we both had jobs lined up. Since the neighborhoods weren’t total bargains, we decided to keep looking. As both of us enjoy travel (national and internationally) we were also a bit concerned that Asheville might be somewhat ‘cut off’ from other major cities. If you kidnapped the city of Asheville, cut the housing prices, kept the awesome restaurants, added more dog parks and the kiddie friendly green spaces, but made it into a port city (yay waterfront!) 20 minutes from the beach, you'd have.... Wilmington, NC. Possibly one of the best kept secrets on America’s East Coast, Wilmington was never destroyed during the Civil War- so many of the historic neighborhoods are walking distance to downtown. Dawsons Creek and One Tree Hill were both filmed here (amongst others) and trendy Carolina Heights has visits regularly from fans wanting to snap selfies with their favorite houses. The tree lined streets are somewhat Savannah-esque with their hanging Spanish moss... and many of the micro breweries (there are more by the week!) and restaurants are dog friendly. Our local airport is less than 10 minutes drive away, offers direct flights to NYC, and we are always able to book flights without a worry. We feel incredibly lucky to have found Wimington, while the prices were low. They can’t stay this way for forever- the riverfront is undergoing a resurgence, luxury condos are being constructed and there are neat houseboat communities getting developed along the river. Ultimately, where Asheville brings you the mountains, Wimington offers the beach. One is inland and one has water... but when your dollar goes so much further in one city than the other, its hard not to resist the draw!

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Home Sweet Home - 10/22/2018

Asheville is my hometown and I think you are always biased about your hometown, but I think Asheville is an amazing city. It definitely has its quirks. It is the home to retirees, trust fund babies and people just getting along. The housing market is crazy, just like any other upcoming/popular city, same with traffic and job opportunities. However, the culture is overflowing. Foodtopia is Asheville's second name. There is so much to do from actual local shopping, breweries, restaurants, music venues, outdoor activities, etc. The people are very friendly and Asheville has a very diverse community. Asheville proper steers to the left and the surrounding rural areas steer to the right, as they do in most cities. Asheville is very pet friendly and Fido can come along on most adventures. The airport is working hard to include more flights to major cities all the time and working to add more airlines as well. I currently live in Seattle and see a lot similarities between the two cities and also a lot of differences. Even if you don't want to live in the Blue Ridge Mountains (how could you not though?), you should visit Asheville and experience its southern mountain charm.

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Looks good? Look again. - 9/7/2018

Incredible positive reviews and beautiful natural beauty had me strongly considering a move to Asheville NC. I was stunned to recently discover unbiased research and media reports concerning how horribly contaminated the water and air quality is. There’s a Duke Energy coal plant right in the city, and plans to build another two. There are another 30 throughout the state and they have all dumped their toxic coal ash waste in unlined pits for decades. It has leached into the ground water and wells. Since most of the plants are next to rivers and lakes, contamination travels far and wide. And the plants’ smoke stacks release toxins into the air. And guess what? The governor used to work for Duke Energy. So sad how such a beautiful state has been abused for profits.

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Beauty, Affordability, and Culture - 9/6/2018

Wow, I can't believe how much Asheville bashing there is here. I'm a glass-half-empty guy, easily finding fault with every place I live, but I can objectively say that Asheville is a very nice place to live. I moved here four years ago from the NYC suburbs with my girlfriend. Our criteria for a new location were: affordability (houses under 350K), moderate weather, natural beauty, open space, cultural offerings, and progressive politics. Asheville was the only place we could find that satisfied all. The other desirable places we looked at were either too expensive or had extreme weather. Four years in, we are still happy with our decision. We live a few miles outside the city in a former farming community; the combination of rural beauty/serenity and easy access to a small, vibrant city is ideal. The mountains bring daily joy, and the people in Asheville are interesting, creative, and free-spirited. Asheville is big enough to attract national acts (e.g. Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, The Punch Brothers, Steely Dan, Venus/Serena playing tennis) but small enough to feel manageable and community-oriented. As with any place, there are things I'm dissatisfied with: 1) Outside of the health field, the white-collar economy is bad. They call Asheville a BYOJ town (bring your own job). I work remotely as a computer programmer, and my girlfriend is in the health field, so we're fine. But most people will have a hard time finding a good-paying job here. 2) It's wetter and more humid than I like. Statistically, Asheville gets slightly more rainfall than the national average, and, like the entire East Coast, it's humid. But being 2100 feet above sea level, the temperatures are 5 -10 degrees cooler than the flat parts of the state, so that helps. 3) Coming from NY, I'm used to sophisticated people: i.e. Those who read books, attend jazz/classical concerts, go to graduate school, etc. In Asheville proper, there are those people, particularly the thousands of transplants who have moved here the past couple of decades. But the regional culture in general is on the simple side. That has been my biggest complaint. But, hey, I knew that going in. This isn't NYC, Chicago, or San Francisco. Overall, Asheville is a great choice if you don't need a big city and enjoy the mountain life. I can't think of an affordable place I'd rather live.

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A good place to live, but you need money and a job - 8/29/2018

Considerable amount of whining here -- must be some unhappy people, but not because of Asheville. The good things: * an intact downtown: back when "urban renewal" was the rage (1950s-60s) Asheville was too poor to do, so today the pre-1930s building stock is still there (but cleaned up). * big foodie scene, brewery/distillery scene, music -- all this leads to lots of life downtown and in the nearby areas including after dark. Summer time means street entertainment from the buskers * surrounded by the mountains, so there is something to see besides high rise * four seasons - so yes, Floridians will complain about the cold. It seldom gets sweltering hot (but it can), or sub-20s cold (but it can) * great place for hikers, kayakers, motorcyclists, bicyclists: Blue Ridge Parkway is here, Appalachian Trail is nearby, Smokey Mountain National Park * autumn! Snow on the mountains in winter! Summer means swimming in the streams/rivers Not so good: * still mostly a small town, but development has brought lots of people (not to mention the many many tourists) so rush hour can clog the roads. Off rush hour moving around is easy. * development means nearby villages are merging with A'ville to create a metro-blurb-sprawl (people like to live here) * development means an ever higher skyline as multi-story hotels and condos are built. The human-sized feeling of the urban area is losing out. * tourists -- lots of them * crime can be iffy depending where you live, but I have never experienced neither property nor violent crime. Yes, within increasing national poverty Asheville receives ever more panhandlers, who can get aggressive. Fair number of lefty liberals who protest when the police crackdown, such is life. * the western region of the state has always been poor, with low wages historically. Lots of young people with no skills except food service, so hospitality wages stay low, but more people means upward push on housing. So come here as a telecommuter. Even so, some manufacturing happens a few miles south. Come visit for a few weeks and see if you like.

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asheville sucks - 4/26/2018

Im young, im only 18 years old, i was born and raised in Asheville and what i can mostly say is, its not for young people at all, its very significantly boring. Its either biltmore park to watch movies or go eat at the same 10 restaurants in your area because all the other ones are all the way across town. Unless you like driving around wasting gas, there is nothing to do. Downtown is very ugly, bunch of crack addicts who ask you for money or just rich white old people that dont pay any attention to anyone. Weather here is absolutely terrible, either cloudy, cold, rainy, or to dry. when we have sunny days its a relief and then traffic gets terrible when we do have those sunny days so either way its just best to sit at home and watch ww2 movies and make hot-dogs cause there is literally nothing to do. Violent crimes arent much of a problem but they are now cause for some odd reason people want to move here and all i want to say is that your making a mistake. Its all a big mistake and its all a big joke. people here will be in your business and there is drama around every corner. Nc is terrible in education, 47th out of the whole country.....well it was a tough one to graduate but its possible. Plus the driving education here is absolutely terrible cause people drive like idiots here. Lets just say for you Floridian fans, i love Floridia i visited in December in the miami part and once i get the funds to move down there best believe you will never see me in asheville ever again and take my advice its terrible very very terrible.

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