Not the outdoor paradise people claim it to be...N
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7/14/2015
I have lived in CA, OR, AZ, and now in Asheville. I came here because I wanted to grow food in a large garden, to live in a place where they take farm to garden seriously, and the great outdoors. I also thought, based on sites like Sperling's and other online sources, that the weather and climate here would be delightful. WRONG on all counts. While it is a good place to grow food, and there are a lot of farm-to-table places, I have not enjoyed life here in the 5 years I have been in the area. The only high point has been the garden, which is great. The farm to table stuff in town is silly, pretentious, and overpriced. It is, simply put, fake and full of poseurs, which pretty well sums up Asheville in general. It is also priced for the rich.
Additionally, I must go on a bit about the weather here. The websites claim over 200 sunny or partly sunny days a year for the Asheville region. This is insanely overstated. They must count a day as sunny if weak light drifts through the endless cloud cover for 15 minutes now and then! This is the most dreary, cloudy place I have ever lived, and that includes Oregon! In particular, summers are cloudy every day. OK, not cloudy all day, but most of the day. Especially mornings. If you are like me, and love to get up to a bright, clear summer's morn: forget it, if you live here. Happens only very rarely. And, when it does happen, you can be sure that the day will soon get so hot and muggy, so sticky and unbearable, you'll wish the clouds would come back. It's that sort of place. I am not exaggerating.
How about all that "outdoor paradise" stuff the magazines and websites are full of? Well, perhaps Asheville fits that billing-IF you come from the Northeast cities, the Midwest, or from Florida. If, like me, you spent decades living in the West, the mountains will feel small, crowded, and over-rated. In fact, all the outdoor recreation here feels to me like a visit to a city park. There are too many people, and there's too little open space. It all feels suburban.
For those who like to be endlessly social, to party and drink beer, then you may just LOVE Asehville. Especially if you are young and "hip" and the recipient of a trust fund, you may find this place perfect. For those who have to work (jobs are scarce and low-paying), not young, not party animals, not devotees of the beer culture: keep away from this place. It is the most over-rated region I have ever experienced.
Joe | Candler, NC