Asheville, NC is a beautiful city located in the western part of North Carolina with a rich culture and vibrant art scene. The health of the Asheville community is also evident in its many local hospitals and medical facilities. The Mission Hospital, established in 1900, is one of the largest healthcare systems serving Asheville and the surrounding area. This hospital offers general and specialty care for adults and children as well as emergency care and primary care services. Other hospitals include Angel Medical Center, Charles George VA Medical Center, Asheville Surgery Center, and Interstate Cardiology Group. There are also several smaller health clinics that provide specialized services such as cardiology, obstetrics/gynecology, endocrinology, orthopedics, pediatrics, and oncology. These facilities help to meet all of the health needs of the Asheville area while providing quality care at affordable prices. All of these resources ensure that people living in Asheville have access to adequate healthcare services so they can stay healthy and active throughout their lives.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 374 physicians per 100,000 population in Asheville. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Asheville area is 111.4 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
111.4 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Asheville area is 64 (100=best). The US average is 55.
64 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Asheville area is 82 (100=best). The US average is 87.
82 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Asheville commutes 17.8 minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Asheville area is 62 (100=best). The US average is 58.
62 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.