Posted on 08/15/2005 6:18:51 PM PDT by clintonh8r
Well, as I posted on another thread earlier today:
And by the way, Asheville is a blight and a cancer on the most beautiful part of North Carolina. It's a little slice of Moonbat Central in the heart of the mountains...a beautiful, beautiful town overrun with granola-crunching Birkenstock-wearing alternative-lifestyle hippies, and a smattering of limo liberals that moved down there from the big city and want to bring all the worst parts with them.
Asheville is a living advertisement for the neutron bomb. Clean out the population, but save the town so real North Carolinians can repopulate it later.
FReepers will not steer you wrong. Western and west central North Carolina is a wonderful place. But DO NOT move to Asheville. It is a blue zit on a red state. It's not even the politics, really...the people that have taken the area over aren't just liberal, they really are moonbats. Crystal-wearing, Gaia-worshipping, "peace-and-justice" barking moonbats. Truly, it's turned into Berserkely or San Cramcrisco East. And while it's a small city, and still has a very high quality of life and a lot to recommend it, I cringe to think about what's going to happen when the moonbats run the city into the ground, like they always do with all cities they take over.
The Blowing Rock/Boone area up in the northwest part is amazingly beautiful, but not very big so if you're expecting big-city comforts, they aren't found there. Hickory is nice, but the economy in that area is very dependent on furniture manufacturing--getting squeezed out by foreign competition--and supposedly it's also being overrun with illegal aliens.
If you don't mind looking a tiny bit further afield from Asheville, there's always the VA/TN Tri-Cities (Bristol/Johnson City/Kingsport) or Greenville/Spartanburg, SC. You could even range as far north as Roanoke or the Shenendoah Valley in Virginia and still be less than a day's drive from Asheville and the Smokies.
}:-)4
I spent a few days in Tryon. Anybody here know much about Tryon?
Monroe seems pretty close to Charlotte, which I'm trying to stay away from. Is Charlotte encroaching on Monroe?
Check out Lake James; specifically SouthPointe subdivision. We just built a home on 1-2/3 acres (lot 156) about two years ago. We're nestled into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lake James is fed by three rivers coming from the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is the cleanest Lake in NC, and amoung the top 10 cleanest lakes in the country. Stay away from Norman. If you want to visit us, communicate via FReepmail.
where are you moving from?
I don't know if Roanoke is a good place to go any more. About 7 years ago, I was dating a woman in Roanoke, and she was angry about the growing lesbian population. Is it still like that?
Curious. Why are you selecting Asheville?
About 25 miles out of Charlotte - probably too close for you. And the sprawl is in that direction, because of the US Highway.
I agree with Congressman Billybob that anywhere around Asheville would be good, but stay out of Asheville as it's become San Francisco East. I mean that in the sense that counter culture and PC has replaced what 30 years ago was a bluegrass and blue collar town. Also, the housing prices in Asheville are ridiculous(for NC).
Adjoining Henderson County has some very nice areas, in fact Hendersonville has a booming retirement community and one of the highest bank deposit rates per capita of any town in NC.
A bit farther S.W. is Transylvania County with the small town of Brevard(very nice) which is about 1/2 hour S.W. of Asheville. This is another location worth looking at.
On the other side of the Blue Ridge, one hour north of Asheville via four lane interstate is Johnson City Tn. It's a mountain town that is very similar to what Asheville was 20+ years ago. I recommend a ride up that way to check it out.
"Asheville is a living advertisement for the neutron bomb."
HAR! One of ~The~ best descriptions about the city that I've ever read!
Does anyone have any thoughts about the other side of the Smokies? Specifically, Sevier County?
From someone looking to escape Chicagoland to inexpensive housing and relative peace & quiet.
I'm trying really hard to achieve early retirement from office-life, but not necessarily from working. I'm figuring there are plenty of tourist-oriented jobs just to keep a little cash coming in, and for benefits.
Tryon is known as horse country and the horsy set seem well entrenched there. Very nice place. I recommend you explore Hendersonville/Waynesville/Brevard. Those are all small towns in the vicinity of Asheville that are more conservative and have a small town feel to them but are within 30 min. drive time of Asheville.
The only reason I ever go to Asheville is to go to the mall occasionally. Everything everyone has said on this thread about Asheville is true but that's the downtown. There are many older neighborhoods in Asheville that meet your criteria. The problem with them would be that they may fall inside the city of Asheville and would be subject to Asheville city govt.
My definition here for Red was redneck..
Sevier County, home of Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. It's a fun place to visit, there are some reasonable housing prices, but the tourists overrun the parkway on a constant basis. Beautiful country, but stay out of the towns and cities.
The city of Asheville is about at nutty-left-wing as you can get. If you move there, don't ever go into the city. Actually, don't move there...
I'm assuming also that you want mountains. If I had to pick a place in the mountains to retire right now it would be the Bristol/Johnson City/Kingsport. There are many beautiful old homes and properties in that area. The place is chock full of history and there is so much to do. Check out the Virginia Creeper. The land is beautiful everywhere you look. My SO's family lived there for most of his life, so I have visited often.
If mountains are not required, the land around Seagrove, NC makes me drool - lush, green, rolling farm land, very cheaply purchased and only about 20 minutes from the Triad area.
SO and I purchased a home on Lake Townsend outside of Greensboro because of his job considerations. I'm still trundling back and forth between SE TN and the Triad area every weekend while I job hunt. If I could have had everything my way, I'd have bought 10 acres with a creek around Seagrove.
SO and I would meet often in Ashville - because it was halfway. There are a lot of things to do there because of the University, but I would never, never, never live in that city.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.