LOVE Hendersonville...used to come "o'er the mountain" from Johnson City, TN to pick apples at all the orchards along the 'Bat Cave' corridor (Route 64). Very 'red' area, but Asheville itself is 'Berkeley, North Carolina'. Nice place to shop, dine, and so forth, but live there? If you like hippies, I guess. I am heading back to east Tennessee in a few months, and will head over the mountain frequently to shop, pick fruit, and hit the awesome Farmer's Market in Asheville, but downtown Asheville is a bit weird. (You want to see hippies? Check 'Earth Fare' on the west side of town...'cornrow' heaven.)