Asheville Mayor Leni Sitnick(??on spelling)in 1980s invited San Francisco to come to the NC city promoting the gay lifestyle, although she was married. Crime and drugs came in a much larger measure after her campaign.
The city fools wanted to make the area a tourist attraction only, so companies lost a lot of their tax breaks and welcome, at least twenty? closed their doors and went elsewhere based on local treatment. Jobs were gone except for the cheap paying ones, and other areas of the state still pay more than here for skilled or professional.
The Grove Park Inn was a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients early in the last century. Later it became a great hotel and golf course, after lots of changes and the Interstate coming here. Lots of immigrants (Philippines included) were brought here for summer jobs at the Inn.
The area was always popular with the elite due to the Biltmore House, and the Vanderbilts. The mountains have long been an escape for Floridians who summer here. Before 2008 it was popular for retirees to have a second home here...not so much anymore.
There has always been a strong Christian community, and yes some Satanists have decided to come too. However the area has always had a Bohemian feel downtown. This was a best kept secret to the very few until after WWII, then an influx came to disturb the quiet way of life. The outside rural areas were very conservative until the 1980s.
Natives are now outnumbered by those from left leaning places and cities like NYC, but there was a strong Democrat presence before that, it was so corrupt one had to almost sign up left to get a job, and then vote right.
Direct flights to NYC were in great demand for a long time.
Artists, Musicians, and Writers flourish here as the city is geared toward that group of people. The colleges invited this diversity and left leaning ideology. The campuses are obviously influencing the whole state.
I remember Asheville as a very pleasant place back in the 60s. The last time I was there was in 1995 and it had changed a lot.
I worked at a Summer retreat and we would drive into Asheville, park behind the “All Sports Store”, and make our way down Patton Ave., finally ending up at Finkelsteins on Pack Square.
Regularly would watch the Tourists play at McCormick Field. If you bought a program, you had nearly a 50% chance of winning a door prize. Those were the days.