Left after three months
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1/7/2017
Review of Asheville
I have visited Asheville and enjoyed my time there though living there is another story. I read these reviews before I moved to Asheville this past August from AZ and thought I try it thinking the negative reviews were to deter people from moving there because it supposed to be a secret oasis! I moved back to AZ after three months in Asheville. The reviews are spot on! It's a hard place to live. Groceries are twice the price of AZ, jobs are few... though I found a job in the medical industry but only part time. Part time jobs are easier to find than full time and part time jobs are unstable and usually temporary. Not doing my research, I found it expensive to live even with a decent salary for part time. Rents are high for what you pay for. Housing is hard to find too if you are used to the west coast with newer construction and are picky. Many houses are just old and need work unless you buy a premium luxury style home. There are new apartments there though pricy. I couldn't qualify for a mortgage loan because the job I had was part time and full time is required which I now understand why people rent more than buy homes there because of the lack of job security. If you're retired and already made your money then it will be fine for you though budget for food costs. In the mountains every thing costs more. Salmon costs three times more than salmon in AZ! It's a luxury to buy groceries in Asheville. I found people there to be deceptive and I think because they are all trying to survive. I got out quick to avoid ending up poor and being stuck in that survival mentality. I was disappointed after I started my new part time job to find out people who worked there before me didn't last because the owner cut hours on them and I was lied to about the other employee I would be sharing the job with. Turned out she was told only a couple days before I started that her hours were cut and she was crying to me that she needed her job and so I ended up giving it back to her. I was also deceived by the owner when he gave me my first paycheck showing I was being paid five dollars less than agreed and he tried to tell me I was wrong until I showed him the saved email showing the correct pay! Not a good start in Asheville! People give a vibe out that no one should move there so you will feel unwelcome unless you're just visiting. Even my aunt and uncle who moved there seven years ago are now territorial like the rest and were upset with me after I moved to "their" city and made me feel unwelcome and told me not to move into their neighborhood in Weaverville! Weaverville is a nice town just outside of Asheville with the pretty mountain views. Guess I wasn't allowed in their neighborhood! Asheville is a place where no blessings occur and just difficulties with people and it's an overrated place. Downtown has okay places to eat though nothing spectacular. The only part of Asheville I enjoyed was the Biltmore Estate- beautiful place - I spent most of my time there to escape the bad reality of the nightmare I was living in Asheville. If your are used to the west coast open skies you won't like all the trees with less space and views unless you live in weaverville or Arden area. Too many bugs too! The weather was fine for me the three months I lived there (Aug-Nov), sunny and warm though I left right when it started to get cold and looking at the weather channel it's snow and 22 degrees F as a high- so too cold for me being from AZ. I wish I listened to these reviews because it was expensive to move to Asheville and back to AZ. Glad to be back west. I learned the hard way that you should do a trial move first before moving everything you own - rent a place and try the new job first then if you like it move after.
L | Scottsdale, AZ