Asheville is a city at the crossroads. It has beautiful archetecture, a bohemian history and beautiful surroundings. However, it has a seemy, distasteful side. There is an underclass of pierced and tatooed young (and not so young) people, street people in the park beating drums, etc. The downtown is in decay years after many other larger North Carolina cities have modernized and revitalized their centers (i.e. Raleigh, Charlotte)
Asheville is a city that just doesn't seem to care. It has an anything goes attitude.