Asheville is a mini Portland though. It’s probably the bluest island in the reddest sea of NC.
I haven’t been to Asheville since the 2000s, but back then there was still a silent majority of Republicans in and around Asheville. Buncomb County went for Bush in both elections, and while it went for Obama and Hillary, it was closer there than it was in Wake County, let alone actual deep-blue areas like Durham and Chapel Hill. I think that silent majority is now a minority, but still a substantial one.