I lived in Asheville in the 70’s, just as the ‘art community’ was discovering what a wonderful city it was. But with its climate and location in the mountains, it was too good to last. Way too many Priuses and not enough pickups.
In the 80s when I lived there, Asheville and Black Mountain were beginning to be overrun by New Agers and Wiccans. Lots of crystal shops, Wiccan book shops, etc. The Farmer’s Market was still cool. Great blueberry country. Biltmore Dairy milkshakes were still a thing. So sad what has become of it. :(
You may be onto something with your Prius vs Pickup ratio. In our neck of the mountains the pickups vastly outnumber all other vehicles, even counting out of state tourists. And this is obviously Trump Land everywhere you look.