The truth about our town.
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5/31/2018
The post below was written a little less than 10 years ago and only a few months prior to my move to Waynesville. Anyone who moves to any city should do research before just transplanting themselves in to a new community. I researched the heck out of this area and decided on Waynesville for very specific reasons. In the last 10 years, Waynesville has grown considerably. We have a growing community and an increasing awareness of needing to implement more activities. The microbrew community has expanded east from Asheville and Waynesville is now home to multiple award winning local micro breweries. The Hazelwood area is being regenerated and there is a great restaurant, Bourbon Batrel, that has one of the best pork chops anywhere around. Main Street recently acquired a new taco/pizza restaurant opened by a couple from ATL. The nightlife does struggle, but there are plenty of activities to immerse yourself in within 15-30 minutes of here. (No different than living in Atlanta Or any other major metro area and having to drive across town.) there is plenty of hiking nearby and the Blue Ridge parkway is only 5 minutes up the road. Harrah’s casino is 25 minutes away and has TONS of activities (including a massive multimillion dollar addition for kids.) the Hart Theater offers plays throughout the year that are pretty darn good. I recently watched a play that was not too far off of the quality you would see at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. The Asheville airport has multiple airlines flying in and out regularly and one airline, Allegiant, offers one way trips to 8 different destinations starting as low as $42 (cheaper than it would be to drive) making a weekend trip to a beach in south Florida actually doable.
With all of this being said, Western NC has been hit hard by the opioid Crisis. There is a massive upsurge of Fentynal and Heroin usage. The death toll has sky rocketed and crime has definitely increased several fold over the last few years. The Jail is frequently near capacity and I lived here 6 years before I heard of 1 shooting - - now I hear about them at least once a month if not 2-3x/Month. The Waynesville PD and Haywood County Sheriff’s officer are working diligently to address this issue and have implemented a new program, LEAD, to assist individuals struggling with addiction on breaking free of the addiction lifestyle/incarceration route. Methamphetamine use has also exploded around the area which creates a lot of challenges for the community.
Our kid participated in multiple community activities (little league softball, volleyball, a local choir group, piano). People will frequently say there is nothing to do for kids, but there is PLENTY. the Waynesville REC Center is always offering classes or activities and the Haywood Regional Hospital Fitness Center also offers a lot of classes for kids-seniors.
Employment is tough. The rental market is extremely limited - especially if looking for a 1BR apartment less than $900/month in a decent area. New apartments are being built but it will not be enough to manage the shortage. Companies are hiring but not quickly enough. We do have manufacturing jobs and they pay well. Giles Chemical (epsom salts), Evergreen (paper mill), Conmet, are just a few examples of manufacturing companies in the local area.
Healthcare - most everything was bought out by Duke Lifepoint (meh) or Mission Memorial (better option). If you have Medicare, good luck finding a physician. Federal funding cuts have made that near impossible. This is unfortunate because Waynesville can be a great retirement community. Mission Memorial is close by (within 25 minutes) and is definitely my preference over Haywood Regional/Duke Lifepoint. There are great doctors, dentists, and specialists in he area.
Transportation - there is little to none (public transit). We are getting a bus sometime in the next year......so they say. Also, PLEASE STOP TO LOOK AT THE SCENERY instead of driving and looking. Locals are injured daily by tourists, out of town guests, and imports (yes, we call you guys imports when you move here from other states) who are too busy looking at the mountains/trees/incredible double rainbows.
We would love to have you, but stop to look please!
Hope this brief overview helps!
Kyler | Waynesville, NC