What Is It Like Living in Asheville, NC? – From Locals
Learn why we love living in Asheville, NC. Have all of your questions answered about things to do, the best Asheville neighborhoods, WNC weather, and the pros and cons of moving to Asheville.
We moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 2019 and have never regretted that decision. It’s also no secret that we moved to Asheville on a whim.
With our weekend plans to Puerto Rico thwarted, we needed a backup plan. Why not visit Asheville? We both had never been but heard wonderful things.
What started as a whirlwind 3-day tour turned into the start of our move to Asheville in under two months. Who knew? Not us!
So, what pushed us over the edge to consider moving to Asheville? For one, we were New Englanders living in Florida, and Florida was just not for us.
Florida was hot, humid, and lacking in the culture we craved. We had lived in Central Florida for over 8 years. It was time for a change.
Two, we could both easily work in Asheville based on our jobs, and three, those gorgeous mountains.
Not to mention that we loved the foodie scene, endless hiking, craft beer, and mild seasons, including a vibrant fall.
Now that we’ve bought a house and have been living in Asheville for years, we receive a ton of emails asking us what it is like living in Asheville, NC.
Why move to North Carolina? What are the best neighborhoods in Asheville? What do we do for fun? Is Asheville expensive? What is the political climate like?
Most importantly, what are the pros and cons of living in Asheville? Ultimately, is Asheville a good place to live?
After answering these questions individually over and over again, we figured it was time for an article. Below find out why we love living in Asheville, NC along with our recommendations, advice, and personal experience.
We’ll hopefully make your decision about moving to Asheville a little easier and more informed. We frequently update this article. Let’s get started!
Read more about the best Asheville neighborhoods.
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Table of Contents
FAQs About Living In Asheville, NC
Below are some of the most pressing questions that we receive in Uncorked Asheville’s inbox each week about living in and moving to Asheville.
Many of these questions include: Is Asheville, NC a good place to live? What is it like to live in Asheville? How about retiring in Asheville?
What is there to do, do you recommend a particular realtor, and how can we make friends? What are the best Asheville neighborhoods?
We will try to answer many of these questions about Asheville, NC living throughout this article. Then, we’ll share our top pros and cons of living in Asheville.
Please keep in mind that these are just our opinions and experiences. Yours may not be the same.
We are not journalists, and we are not realtors. We are also not a massive media site with employees.
Lastly, know that we do not have children and chose to buy a house before moving here.
We flew up one weekend to house hunt with an Asheville-based realtor and looked at 15+ houses in 2 days. We made an offer before leaving, and it was accepted.
We flew back up from Florida to close on our AVL house, and within months, we packed up and drove to our new Asheville home.
Our jobs remained the same with the relocation, and we were not first-time buyers. All of those elements factored into our moving to Asheville experience.
Why Move To Asheville, NC?
Due to the nature of our jobs, we have moved around quite a bit.
For me (Christine), I’ve lived in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Indonesia, Florida, and now North Carolina. My husband can add Virginia and New York.
I’m not going to lie: I love living in Asheville, NC, and of course, I enjoyed CT — where I was born and raised. I am a sucker for seasons, outdoor sports, and a mix of city and country life.
So, why would others consider moving to Asheville, North Carolina? Based on the emails I’ve received, people love the appeal of the mild climate, great outdoors, and hip and growing city.
There are craft breweries on every corner. If you have food preferences or intolerances, the delicious Asheville restaurants will easily cater to you without rolling their eyes or messing up your order.
I’m not sure we’ll ever eat at all of the cafes and restaurants.
Plus, Asheville welcomes everyone. There is a vibrant LGBTQ+ community. Black Lives Matter murals covered the downtown buildings during peaceful protests.
The city is filled with beautiful street art and history. Our neighbors are both young and old.
Don’t get me wrong: you will run into a grumpy local here and there or see a Confederate flag on your way to Ingles. This is rarer in Asheville than in Florida.
Plus, we have Biltmore Estate, an arts district, and a liberal city in a fairly purple-red state. Keep in mind that parts of Western North Carolina are extremely conservative. The larger cities run more liberal.
Why Live In Asheville?
Along those lines, why would anyone live in Asheville over another growing city like Nashville, Knoxville, Austin, Greenville, or Dallas?
We would advise visiting the places you are comparing and spending as much time there as possible. Get a feel for the culture, the people, and what you personally value most.
Some places will have more traffic, fewer jobs, a higher cost of living, and different things to do for fun.
For us, we had some expected as well as oddball musts. We wanted a two-story home with a basement (Florida, remember…).
Because I have ulcerative colitis and my husband has Celiac’s, we wanted a town that respected food intolerances; we love eating out every week. I also needed a strong GI office close by (read more about my experience living with UC in Asheville).
After living in such a flat state filled with suffocating heat and humidity, we hoped to see light snow again — but not CT blizzard-level.
We also didn’t want to drive 1 to 2-hours to get somewhere like the dentist.
We love the outdoors and craved spending our autumns and summers exploring the waterfalls and swimming holes. We won’t lie, though; we questioned if we could live 4+ hours from the beach.
Plus, we desired a city with a diverse population.
We found all of this in Asheville, along with endless things to do. This sounds cheesy, but we just knew in our hearts that Asheville, NC living felt right for us.
Is Everyone A Hippie? Who Lives In Asheville?
If you aren’t at Trader Joe’s battling the crowds on a Friday night, you probably voted for Trump and hate polar bears. We are kidding.
Whole Foods and The Fresh Market are right there, too, over on Merrimon Ave.
But no, not everyone is an *awesome* hippie or even young, a digital nomad, a liberal, or a retiree. Truth bomb, though: For 2021-2022, U.S. News ranked Asheville as the 14th best place to retire.
We do have a lot of golf courses and country clubs…
Asheville has quite a bit of diversity with a metro population estimated to grow to almost half a million by 2025.
And yes, people both love and hate — really hate that fact — and argue fiercely about it on FB threads. The United States Census Bureau also reported that the median age in Asheville is 39.
Plus, we have the University of North Carolina Asheville — a liberal arts college — responsible for about 3,600 young adults. We early voted on this beautiful campus in 2020.
Yes; North Carolina has early voting. We are a state to watch during elections.
At different times of the year, you will see an influx of tourists and snowbirds. Does this get to be a bit much? You bet.
But, tourists help the local businesses thrive — myself and this site included. Locals know the off-seasons and adjust accordingly.
You can read more Asheville, NC demographic information from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Census.
What About The Homeless Community Members?
One of the most asked questions we receive in our inbox is about Asheville’s homeless community. Yes; Asheville has a growing unsheltered population.
Watching a video of a driver trying to run over a homeless man and his cat — merely because they were homeless — was one of the most horrific things we’ve seen.
Beloved Asheville is a non-profit organization that works with people in need of shelter and supplies as well as challenges that people face.
The city has been trying to resolve housing issues and be more supportive of unsheltered camps. Some of these camps have issues with crime and drug use — and are removed.
It’s an ongoing dialogue and nationwide crisis.
You may also see people asking for money at heavily trafficked intersections. Fights may break out.
In downtown Asheville, you will find people — not all homeless — asking for food and money as well.
Save This Moving To Asheville Guide For Later
Are The Locals Friendly?
Which always brings us to the uncomfortable question: Are the locals friendly toward newbies living in Asheville, NC? Do they want us there? Is there visible tension?
Lately, our inbox is flooded with specific questions about Californians and Floridians moving to Asheville, NC — there are a ton of us in our well-established, older neighborhood.
Technically, Tom and I are what North Carolinians call “halfbacks” since we lived in New England and Florida first.
We had always heard that locals resented the influx of people moving in, the overdevelopment, gentrification, and, rightfully so, the increased traffic.
There will always be heated debates over housing and congestion. Fall foliage tourist season is also out-of-this-world busy.
We have never met anyone face-to-face who has expressed any concern for having us here. Luckily, new friends embraced us with open arms and booze — transplants and locals, alike.
Asheville is full of transplants, and we made friends here easily.
We purchased a home in an established neighborhood — a ’90s home that needs major updating (popcorn ceilings, GAH).
We work, eat, and spend our time and money in Asheville, giving back to local businesses and the economy.
However, we do receive negative, anonymous comments on this post. It’s much easier to troll behind a keyboard at 2 AM with a few drinks under your belt.
There is also an online trolling trend where older transplants feel like they had the right to move to Asheville, NC, years ago but now the “the city is full” and no one else can.
Many appreciate the tourism that allows the businesses to grow while having such an eclectic and even international gaggle of residents.
True to most cities, there is growth and change — for the good and bad.
The city wouldn’t be what it is today without so many people moving to Asheville. Asheville’s economy thrives off tourism.
What Is The Real Estate Market Like In Asheville?
When we first thought about living in Asheville, NC, we had no idea where we should look.
Due to work, we only had one weekend to figure it out. The real estate market in Asheville is hot. Homes move quickly.
In fact, we were touring a home when another realtor started yelling at ours because she jumped our time slot to put in an offer on the house for her clients.
We didn’t want the house but we had never seen anything quite like it.
Our realtor warned us that we only had a few days to make buying decisions, and she was right: houses we toured that weekend were off of the market by Monday morning.
We had 4 amazing houses that we loved out of the 15+ we looked at. Luckily, we got our first choice — sans bidding war — and for a price that was fair for Asheville.
Overall, we had many options with little stress.
Please remember that we don’t have kids — school districts didn’t matter to us — and we never considered renting.
The 2022 Asheville housing market is predicted to be just as competitive, and of course, this demand is driving up housing costs.
Be prepared to buy a pricy fixer-upper if you want a prime location.
How Do You Choose An Asheville Realtor?
Choosing a realtor in Asheville is tough. Some are pushy and clearly out for their bottom line.
Even because of this moving to Asheville post, many have reached out and asked to “work together,” which sounds nice until they aggressively harass you.
We liked our realtor and the practice. They found us what we needed, in the time that we needed it.
If you drop us an email — hello (at) uncorkedasheville (dot) com — we’ll be more than happy to recommend them.
We will not share their info below in the comments for the sake of their privacy and ours.
What Are The Best Neighborhoods In Asheville?
Where should you consider living in Asheville? Is Asheville, NC a good place to live, or should you look outside of the city?
First, don’t miss our complete guide to Asheville neighborhoods. Here, we talk in-depth about living in Asheville (the city proper).
This includes Asheville areas like Montford, West Asheville, South Asheville, North Asheville, and the River Arts District.
Each place to live in Asheville has different restaurants, breweries, and vibes.
Some areas are more expensive than others. Others have newer condos.
A few Asheville neighborhoods are within walking distance of shops and restaurants. Others, you will need a car.
When we were moving to Asheville (proper), we looked at North, West, and East Asheville along with Biltmore Forest and Village.
We did not look at Asheville’s Historic Montford District or the Grove Park area of North AVL because our budget was lower than those gorgeous beasts.
You will find $1 to 5 million+ houses in Asheville. We have historic homes, fixer-uppers, new builds, condos, and everything in between.
What Are The Best Suburbs In Asheville, NC?
As for the Asheville suburbs, Fletcher, Fairview, and Arden have great houses for slightly less. The ones we toured tended to be more up-to-date, and you got more bang for your buck.
Those towns are under a 15-minute drive into the downtown area.
You may also want to look at gorgeous Black Mountain, quiet Weaverville, or Brevard. Read more about the best towns and cities surrounding Asheville.
Hendersonville, which we love, is a great option, but it’s about 45-minutes away from parts of Asheville with the costs of living and crowds slowly increasing.
Hendersonville is equally famous for its breweries, apple orchards, and wineries. If you are thinking about retiring in Asheville, Hendersonville is a great place to check out.
If you work in downtown Asheville, the commute from Asheville’s suburbs, though, won’t be great.
Traffic on I-26 — which is always under construction — can be a nightmare. However, it’s not I-4 Florida bad.
Is Living In Asheville, NC Expensive?
According to the U.S. Census from July 2021 (estimates), the median house in Asheville costs $270,400.
People are asking a lot for their non-updated homes and getting asking price or over because of the demand. The Census also notes the median income in Asheville, NC is around $50,000.
We know people who rent both houses and apartments. It’s doable, and it’s not CT.
When people complain about how pricey it is in Asheville, I think about my CT nonprofit salary, renting, and taxes.
Plus, it depends if you have an established job. Some people move to Asheville in the blind: no home, no work, no plan… That’s cool, too. We prefer to know our budget and look around.
If you don’t have these luxuries of already having work lined up or the chance to find housing beforehand, you can still find a mix of Asheville housing options with an open mind.
How Do You Get Around In Asheville?
While Asheville has public transportation — a bus system — most people get around by car.
If you live and work outside of the city, we’d say it’s fairly essential that you have a car. Most of America is like this, though.
We always half-heartedly joke that the older city structure is not prepared for our big SUVs.
Some of the streets are incredibly tiny with thin lanes, the parking spots are impossibly small, and those hills get us. The potholes are for real.
People drive pretty terribly here too — it’s not MA or Jersey, but it’s close. We will get trolled for that truth bomb.
Add in a parking lot, and drivers love to speed and weave. Plus, the tourists do some wild maneuvers in the fall over those dang leaves and when they are lost.
You will use your parking (emergency) brake in Asheville. Hills are plentiful. In the winter, snow and ice make twisty roads difficult to navigate.
When you head downtown, you will have to pay for parking, whether in a pay lot, at a meter, or in a parking garage. Parking is fairly priced, though.
In tourist season and on weekends, spots fill up quickly, but usually, we find something without having too much road rage. You just need to know where to go and where not to go.
What Is The Weather In Asheville and North Carolina Like? How Are The Seasons?
Asheville, NC is a great place to live if you are looking for all four seasons with moderate weather. The milder climate largely factored into us moving to Asheville.
On the downside, Asheville grows extremely foggy. Our mornings are much darker. It’s the mountains, which have unpredictable and angsty weather.
Snow & Winter Living In Asheville, NC
Some winters, we see snow flurries as early as October — they are beautiful. Our cats were mesmerized by their first snow.
We usually don’t have snow stick for more than a few hours but it can. Occasionally, you will see more snow, especially in the higher elevations.
Schools and roads will close. Parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway will shut down.
In 2020, we had a rare white Christmas. In 2022, Asheville saw about 9 inches of snow in one evening.
The snowfall and ice were not a big deal to us, but many of our neighbors don’t own shovels. It took the city a while to clear roads, and establishments stayed closed or delayed for 2-3 days.
We don’t usually lose power since our wires are underground.
It also grows frosty and icy in the winter. While we have had a few nights drop into the 20s, the 30s to 50s are our usual Asheville winter weather.
The Omni Grove Park Inn hosts a Gingerbread House Competition, there are endless light displays, and Candlelight Christmas Evenings at Biltmore are magical.
Spring & Summer
The spring and fall in Asheville are pretty mild. Compared to Florida, it still rains here a lot. We feel the gloom of less sun.
Summer in Asheville may hit the high 90s, but again, it’s not Florida. For us, the North Carolina weather is a mix of New England meets Florida.
Asheville Fall
For Asheville, NC living, autumn is by far the best season. It’s also peak tourist season.
The fall in the mountains and along the Blue Ridge Parkway compete with the glow of our New England home.
Our Asheville fall bucket list is filled with hiking, orchards, pumpkin picking, and seasonal drinks.
The season is filled with outdoor festivals.
What Can You Do For Fun In Asheville?
Living in Asheville, NC means that we are never bored. You can always check out our main page with things to do, including waterfalls, hikes, and shopping.
We enjoy Shakespeare in the Park, all of the parks and gardens, delicious wine bars, historic sites and museums, and breathtaking rooftop bars.
We are annual passholders to Biltmore and members of The NC Arboretum.
When not visiting Biltmore House, we go for their great exhibitions. One year, Biltmore showcased Downton Abbey period clothing, and in 2021-2022, they hosted Van Gogh Alive.
Not to mention the 22-miles of trails, Biltmore Winery, and dining. Biltmore also hosts concerts and seasonal events.
Of course, we eat out a lot and love hitting up the boozy scene. Yes, there are breweries, dive bars, and places to sip craft cocktails like the Grove Park Inn and Cultivated Cocktails.
You have Sierra Nevada and New Belgium as bigger names. Many breweries have live music on the weekends.
Hiking in the gorgeous mountains is a must, and DuPont State Forest — home to The Hunger Games waterfalls — is nearby.
We love the Blue Ridge Parkway and all of its picnic spots and mixed-level hiking trails.
The River Arts District is home to local art shops, urban street art, breweries, RAD restaurants, and a winery.
Take an Asheville day trip to Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, Charlotte, or Bryson City.
Basically, we sum up our Asheville living as hike, eat, drink, repeat. We try hard to maintain an Asheville Events Calendar — but there is so much.
Read More: Top Hiking Trails | Stunning Waterfalls | Mountain Biking
What Are The Pros and Cons Of Living In Asheville, NC?
What Are The Cons of Living In Asheville?
The Airport
The regional airport is great, but we are used to MCO and direct international flights to Dubai, Reykjavik, and Dublin. We travel a lot so AVL adds time and layovers.
A plus: Allegiant is one of the major domestic airlines that flies out of AVL and is a low fare carrier. Delta, American, and United are the legacies that fly out of AVL, too.
You can drive to Charlotte, but you’ll still find yourself with an extra leg — and sometimes it’s cheaper to fly out of AVL.
Newark is also one of our newer international options, but you have to fly there first. We have friends that drive to Atlanta too.
The Traffic & Congestion
I-26 always seems to be under construction. Sometimes traffic can be horrific. There are a ton of trucks at the craziest hours of the day.
During rush hours and prime times, the roads get congested and parking can be harder.
You’ll witness horrific accidents.
Tourist Season(s)
We love that visitors add a vibe to Asheville and put money into the city. We both work in the travel industry — we cannot complain. But, tourism does clog up the highways and cause swarms downtown.
Overall, we just know to make reservations in advance, go out on “off” nights or times, and avoid certain areas at particular times.
The Grove Park Inn in December is like Disney on Christmas Day. The BRP in the fall is sheer chaos on weekends.
Gentrification
As with many cities, with everyone moving to Asheville, many areas have been seeing gentrification for years.
While gentrification leads to increased property rates, commercial development, and improved economic opportunity for some, this also harms another part of the population.
Older residents looking for new homes in the city might not be able to afford another house. There is also a rise in homelessness and crime.
Crime In Asheville
Is Asheville a safe place to live?
Generally, reports say that yes, Asheville is a safe place to live. You can peruse all of the independent sites online that gather Asheville crime data. CrimeGrade is one example.
We also follow the Asheville Police Department on Facebook for local and recent information.
The city struggles with drugs, panhandling, and violent and property crimes, which have increased over the last few years.
We were having dinner in North Asheville when the bank across the street was robbed. The police ran into our restaurant looking for the armed robber.
One of the grocery store workers was attacked mid-morning in the parking lot, and bullet casings were found mid-afternoon where we get sushi.
We do not feel unsafe. However, we also don’t stay out late and use common sense.
Lock your doors, don’t leave valuables in the car, and walking around under the influence at 2 AM in a neighborhood known for incidents is probably not the best idea.
Many homes have alarm systems and camera doorbells.
What Are The Pros of Living In Asheville, NC?
Culture
We appreciate the culture and diversity in Asheville. Could it be better? You bet.
However, you can enjoy art museums, learn about the history of Biltmore, and eat and drink locally. Asheville is full of coffee shops for working and catching up with friends.
The community is educated, active, and engaged. We have fabulous local bookstores and libraries. There is a thriving artist and music scene.
Take workshops to learn a new skill or hobby. Attend a lecture. Enjoy a variety of cuisines at a restaurant or festival.
Take up golfing and do studio yoga.
Unique Cuisine For Everyone
Asheville living is perfect if you are looking for a plethora of vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Think Plant and Laughing Seed along with food trucks like The Smokin’ Onion and The Trashy Vegan.
We even host a VeganFest — it’s delicious.
As mentioned above, Tom has Celiac Disease, and his gluten-free options are pretty endless. Posana has a dedicated gluten-free kitchen, and BimBeriBon is a gluten-free bakery.
Plus, Asheville has every type of cuisine imaginable: Thai food, Indian cuisine, sushi restaurants, that famous North Carolina BBQ.
There are also restaurants for all price points for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dessert, and special occasions.
Things To Do
As mentioned above, there are tons of things to do in Asheville for everyone. We barely scraped the surface. Find hiking, live music, art, educational lectures, food, theater…you name it!
Asheville is also great for families and perfect for couples looking for romantic things to do.
We’ve traveled over to Tennessee for day and weekend trips to places like Clarksville (5.5 hrs), Nashville (4.5 hrs), Dollywood (2 hrs), and Knoxville (2 hrs).
We’ve been meaning to get out to the beach to see places like Hilton Head and revisit Charleston, too.
The Mountains
Lastly, we love living in Asheville for those stunning mountain sunsets.
George Vanderbilt built his retreat here and put Asheville on the map because he thought the mountains were healing and peaceful. He was so right.
If you are visiting to scope out Asheville living, here are a few of our hotel recommendations:
Aloft – Downtown Asheville – Located in the heart of downtown Asheville, the Aloft hotel is newly renovated — as of 2020. Vibrant local murals, updated rooms, and sprawling public areas greet visitors. They even have a rooftop pool overlooking the mountains.
Hampton Inn And Suites Asheville Biltmore Area – Although this hotel is on busy Brevard Road – NC-191 – across from the Asheville Outlets, it’s one of our favorites before living in Asheville. Clean, updated, and in the middle of everything, you can access downtown, Biltmore, and the Blue Ridge Parkway fairly quickly. Plus, you can grab a quick breakfast with tons of food options nearby, especially if you want a hiking lunch for the road. We are obsessed with grinders at the nearby Apollo Flame Bistro. It’s a dive, but it’s our dive.
1898 Waverly Inn Bed and Breakfast — While house hunting and before officially moving to Asheville, we stayed at this sweet B&B in Hendersonville, NC (35-40 mins from Asheville closer to DuPont State Forest). We loved their social happy hour and friendly hosts. Say hi to Mike for us! You can walk into downtown Hendersonville, and don’t miss Umi Sushi. Hendersonville is its own hip little town.
Omni Grove Park Inn – Did you know that F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed at the Omni Grove Park Inn? We love the Grove Park Inn for its delicious restaurants, events, and out-of-this-world sunsets. Go for the history and cocktails. For romantic AVL restaurants, Edison and Sunset Terrace are great picks.
The Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate or The Inn On Biltmore Estate – For fancy Asheville, NC living, don’t miss a stay at Biltmore to see how the Vanderbilts wined and dined. Biltmore is America’s largest home filled with history, gardens, restaurants, and hiking trails.
See our Top Places To Stay in Asheville.
Don’t miss out on these Asheville properties on Booking.com, too.
Still Considering Moving To Asheville, NC? Save This Post For Later
What Did We Miss About Moving & Living In Asheville, NC?
We have tried our best to answer the questions we get from our readers, and we hope these FAQs help you evaluate if Asheville, NC is a good place to live for you.
You may have a completely different experience living in Asheville, but we wanted to share ours to help guide you.
We love living in Asheville, NC — and we say this often. Moving to Asheville was the perfect choice for our family, and we have no regrets.
Do you have any more questions about what it is like living in Asheville or North Carolina? Did we miss anything that you want to know? Let us know in the comments.
Where Should You Head Next?
If you are planning a quick trip, check out this short Asheville itinerary.
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Christine Frascarelli
Christine (pronouns: she/her) is the owner and lead writer of Uncorked Asheville. After falling in love with those gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains, Christine and her husband Tom decided to call Asheville, North Carolina home. When her pointy Italian nose isn’t stuck in a book, Christine is adopting all of the kitties, getting lost in the forest, and drinking an ESB. She has a BA in English and History from Smith College, her MLIS from USF-Tampa, and is a former U.S. Fulbright Scholar - Indonesia. Christine also owns The Uncorked Librarian LLC with books and movies to inspire travel.
Hi Christine. Thanks for this very helpful guide to all things Asheville. I realize you bought your place right away, but I’m moving to Asheville from Arizona and want to rent a place in Asheville or nearby for a year before buying; I figure that’s a good way to check out all the areas and maybe find that real estate prices have come down by then. Do you have any tips besides your mentions here as to how best to find a rental either long distance or during a brief stay in Asheville for a hunt? Much appreciate any further info you might be able to provide. –Mike
Thanks, Mike. My friends here rent around, and I, unfortunately, don’t have too much advice there. I do know that rentals vary in price (some being a tad much for WNC) and that the city is constantly building new complexes right now. I’d take a look around the River Arts District, Woodfin, and West Asheville for the newest buildings/openings. I think North Asheville around UNC might have some rentals, too. If you are coming in for just a long weekend, there are Airbnbs on the city outskirts where allowed as well as cabin/cottage rentals. I hope that helps. Have a great weekend, Christine
This is such an awesome post with such great info!! I lived in NJ for most of my life and south Florida for about 10 years. I now live in Marin County in CA. It is beautiful out here, I hike all the time and the weather and farmers markets fill my soul, but my rent empties my bank account and I’m tired of it. My brother and sister in law recently moved to Asheville and love it. My concern are the grey skies, far from the beach, and no farmers markets (at least not compared to CA). Do you find that these things really weren’t an issue for you? I know you worried about the beach. Also, is there good local healthcare, like a hospital, or do you need to drive pretty far? Living so far from a city would be a big switch for me, but I am pretty tired of CA draining me.
Hey Amy, Thank you so much! I’m so glad that your family loves Asheville.
We are most definitely far from the beach — which I miss. I think the closest beach is 4-ish-hours away. We’ve been meaning to plan a trip to the beach but then the pandemic happened.
I don’t mind the lack of beaches since the mountains and waterfalls make up for it. Plus, we can hop an Allegiant flight to the Florida beaches pretty easily.
The weather is a tad gray here, especially compared to Florida. The darker mornings get me, personally, until the fog burns off. However, I love that I can enjoy four seasons and much cooler weather. The Florida humidity was not for me. Our fall is just absolutely stunning here in Asheville. I love a light dusting of snow in the winter. And we do get sun for a lot of the year — just not as much as Florida. I appreciate the milder summers and more outdoor time.
We have some farmer’s markets plus endless speciality stores, which helps. That and the plethora of restaurants we can eat at with food intolerances is huge. Plus, there is such a diversity in type of cuisine. I love it.
We have Mission Hospital in Asheville — and that’s pretty much the big one unless you drive to Charlotte. Thankfully, we haven’t been yet. I love my eye doctor and dentist.
I do struggle with my GI office as it’s the only one in town (and I have serious GI health issues). However, I’ll take it. I think our healthcare is mostly better here than Florida but not quite as good as CT, if I’m being honest. Someone will read this and troll me for being a New England snob lol.
All my doctors are about 10 minutes tops driving distance, which is SO nice. In Florida, I drove an hour for some.
Asheville is quite a bit smaller as a city, and eventually, you do feel it. However, that part doesn’t bother me since we can travel all over from Asheville. You can see Knoxville, Nashville, etc or head east. There is tons to explore, and Asheville has a lot to do, too.
I hope that helps!
@Christine, check out the book titled: Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Intestinal Health Through Diet by Elaine Gottschall. PM me if you’d like to chat and are interested in more info. Best wishes!!!
Thanks so much for the recommendation. Enjoy the weekend!
Thanks for your post. My husband and I moved to Asheville four years ago from San Francisco, and we are finding it a pretty challenging transition. (STILL) If you move here, you better have your own money. I cannot state that more clearly. Don’t expect to come here and make any money to speak of, and real estate is expensive now. It is also cliquey and hard to make friends. Personally, I am ready to go home.
Hey Kara, I’m so sorry that you are not having the best experience living in Asheville. Asheville is becoming more expensive, especially with the current real estate market situation. We haven’t made as many friends as we would have liked yet either — but the pandemic really didn’t us help personally here. (We also don’t have kids so we are missing the friendship scene that way, too). Thank you for your input. I hope it gets a little better for you. I didn’t love living in Florida for 8 years, at all — so, I understand how difficult that can be when you aren’t happy with a place.
Would you mind referring me to your Real Estate Agent. We are interested in looking at homes soon.
Hey Helen,
I’d be happy to share who we used. If you don’t mind, please just drop me a brief email at hello (at) uncorkedasheville (dot) com. I’ll send you a quick response with their name, group, and email; I just prefer not to publish their info publicly since I see the occasional internet troll (and for their privacy). Thanks so, so much! Congrats on the decision to move.
Love this post! Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. My husband, toddler son and I are considering a change from northern VA and visiting Asheville the first week of September to see if it could be home. You addressed all of the boxes I am looking to check, and the ease and honesty of your personality came through so clearly in your writing that I feel like I’m listening to a close friend. I’m excited to check it out and see if it could be the next right step for our family. Look forward to checking out some of your recommendations as well! Thanks!
Aw, thanks Sarah; I appreciate that! My husband lived in VA for a short time. I hope you enjoy your Asheville visit and that it helps you make informed (and fun) decisions. Best of luck!
This is great. Just what I was in search of. I am probably going to be one of those blind people packing up and heading to Asheville. I have not had any luck finding a place. There just has to be something out there. It is difficult trying to maintain your life in one place and having to figure it out for another location. I am just fed up with NY.
We can also say that we moved to Asheville on quite the whim — but it all worked out. Thank gosh, too! Sometimes, those are the best adventures and even the least stressful. We didn’t have a ton of time to overthink moving or doubt our decisions.
If you need a realtor to help you in the search for housing, please drop me an email (ours was FABULOUS) at hello at the URL of this website. I’d be more than happy to share her contact info with you.
Best of luck, and thank you for the kind comment. I appreciate it.
Thank you for sharing this information.
If you are willing to share the realtors you recommend, I am grateful for your advice.
Hi! Since this page is very public, please drop me an email at hello (at) uncorkedasheville (dot) com, and I’ll send you our realtor’s name and contact information. Thanks!
@Wendy, thank you for this post, I was hoping someone would say this! I think it’s important to respect when a place is becoming inaccessible to the locals because of people with mobile income driving them out. I don’t agree with Christine’s response that it’s not ok for a community to say that they are full. I think it’s a huge problem and sign of entitlement when people see a place like Asheville which is known for its artistic and free-spirited culture and then make it a commodity that they can afford to consume through buying into the community without knowing anything about the place, and in the process make it inaccessible to the original population who are choosing to live by those original values. Who, as you said, made Asheville what it was. I support what you say and would liked to have heard a more mature and respectful response from Christine as a new resident.
Hi,
Thanks for this overview! It was very helpful.
You offered to provide your realtor referral – we’d appreciate that.
Thanks again,
Jack
Hey Jack,
Thank you!
Please just drop me a quick email at hello (at) uncorkedasheville (dot) com to get our realtor’s info. (Just for privacy’s sake.) Thanks so much!
Really enjoyed your article. Plan to read it a few more times, and share it with my fiancé! We are heading out to check out the area in June, cant wait. We are pretty sure we are sold on moving to Asheville area, Im attracted to being 15-30 mins outside the city I think though, want more sq footage, more property, a little more affordable, but with access to city when we want to explore it
Hey David, Thanks so much! We looked at many beautiful homes around Fletcher, Fairview, and Arden that have more space for slightly less. Best of luck in your search. Have a great week.
@Christine,
Read this post out loud to my hubs and he asked if you were some long lost friend of mine! We’re currently in Naples FL to be close to my family during the pandemic and I feel like I’m taking crazy pill I gotta get out of this place!
We’ve lived a lot of places in the US, Denver, ATL, Philly- I’m originally from MI and the hubs VA. Since you’ve also spent a lot of time in places with a lot of sun and places
with not so much… what’s your take on the winter/spring months as far as sunshine goes?
I don’t know if I can move to another place without sunshine for 5+ straight months of the year. My first winter in PA after 15 years in CO & GA felt like The Shining!
Haha; I get that a lot, especially from current Floridians. I’m not going to lie: we are both glad we didn’t have to ride out the pandemic in FL, although the pool would have been nice.
I receive the sunshine question a lot — I’ll have to update this post soon to add it in. We live a little higher up in the mountains, and sometimes, it takes a while for the fog and clouds to burn off in the morning. Overall, the mornings are much darker than I am used to. Some years have also been rainier than others. It’s not the FL sunshine, but we still catch about 20-30 minutes longer of daylight than say CT. I don’t think lack of sunshine is an issue, and unlike Florida, the sun won’t roast you when it is out.
Haha, I’ve been to Philly, and I’d say we are sunnier. No TV series joke intended… This year has been quite sunny and a tad colder so far.
Hello and thank you so very much for this post. So so helpful. I am a native NYC/er who has lived in St Louis (college) Los Angeles (Santa Monica), and for the last 23 years have been living in S. America (Bolivia and mainly Peru) (I share all this with you because of your own well-traveled background, that made your comments feel more relevant to me.)
We are now planning on coming back to the US and Asheville is high on our list. We will be coming with 2 boys (ages 11 and 14) so schools are very important. **Do you have any suggestions on how I can find information about schools that is not just the standard ranking info that is readily available on line?** We will no doubt spend some time there exploring and checking out schools, but I cannot help but look at real estate already and would love to know where to focus.
One other question, part of why Asheville interests me is the mild weather, but also the left leaning nature. However, we do not want to live in the city itself, but are much more drawn to more rural/mountainy areas.
My husband and i work remotely so we can basically go anywhere (provided there are good schools nearby) I have already fallen in love with a place in Hendersonville, but then read that it was far more conservative than it is liberal. I want to be open, but I know I cannot live in an area that has many Trump or other GOP signs and certainly could not handle confederate flag madness. Any thoughts on Hendersonville in that respect? We are not at all bothered by it being farther from Asheville (in fact fewer people feels like a bonus.) but are worried we might feel outnumbered by folks on the right.
Finally, you mentioned you could share your realtor. Would very much welcome that if you are able to share and s/he is not overwhelmed by folks from your blog!
Many, many thanks!
Nadine
Ah, one last weather related question. (It sounds like the hot days are as bad as CT/NYC hot days, if not worse. Are they worse or more plentiful? One of the things I least look forward to are muggy summer days. (Can handle a few, but if the entire summer is that way, would be challenging.)
Thanks again!
(We will likely head there in the Fall to begin searching in earnest. Your generosity here will be rewarded with Peruvian goodies – perhaps some Pisco!)
Hey Nadine,
I love hearing about your history. We’ve traveled to South America — and got engaged in Brazil — but we have yet to visit Peru or Bolivia. I hope to one day soon.
I receive the school question a lot, and I’ve been asked to write about it. It’s no secret that we don’t have children, and I’ve been wondering how to approach this subject via the site so that people are informed but it’s also fair/educated — if that makes sense. I’m still thinking about it. I do know that some of our neighbors have their elementary and middle school-aged kids in private schools and, I think, Montessori, too. Not all are enamored with the Asheville public school system, but I also don’t think it’s a poorly ranking system, overall. I know people that are happy with it. I’d maybe ask around in some of the Facebook groups — there are tons of Asheville groups for moving here, owning cats (haha), food, WNC, etc. I’d look for one that sounds like it will meet your specific needs as a family. I usually jump around and join/leave a few, as needed.
I’ve been getting a ton of questions about Hendersonville’s politics. We like Hendersonville and enjoy its hip downtown scene. The apple orchards and even some of the wineries did host unmasked GOP events this past fall. That was disappointing. You will have an extreme mix of the political spectrum the further you get away from Asheville and deeper into WNC. I host some events in Hendersonville, frequent the wineries, and honestly enjoy the area. We even looked at homes there — I could move there. You may find a Trump 2024 sign, though, but even the awful Confederate flag pops up in Asheville still… One of our neighboring Asheville streets also had Trump signs up during the election, which was slightly surprising to me.
I emailed you our realtor — best of luck!
Lastly, the hot days are not like Florida and are cooler than TN. They aren’t really worse than CT, either. We live higher up in the mountains so we see less humidity. You’ll definitely get a few hot as heck days, though. The entire summer is thankfully not a swamp. We do see more rain, fog, and drearier days than anything else.
I hope that helps! Asheville is stunning in the fall.
Great post, it’s almost like reading our own story! We visited on our anniversary trip in 2019 and picked up and moved from Florida beaches right in the middle of a pandemic in 2020. Zoom calls with a couple of local realtors and found the perfect one to work with. We came up one weekend to tour all the homes she set up and bought a beautiful home with mountain views. Best decision ever! Happy to see that we’ve already been to so many of the great places you mentioned, can’t wait to try them all.
That’s so exciting. Those Florida hurricanes were really getting old, too. Right as we were trying to sell our FL home, one was coming through. I don’t miss packing up the pool patio every time…
I’m so glad that you found a realtor and a property with mountain views. In the fall and winter, we have baby mountain views and gorgeous sunsets. I hope that you are enjoying it all — even with the dang pandemic. Thanks so much for the comment.
Hi, who did you use as a realtor? Me and my wife are considering a move and want to get the process started.
Hi Anthony! If you don’t mind dropping me a quick email (just for privacy) hello (at) uncorkedasheville (dot) com or a DM somewhere on social media, I’ll give you her name and contact info. Thanks so much!
Thanks for this post! We are headed down next month to check Asheville out as we are considering a move there. We are in CT now, but I have lived in NY, VA and MA too. Excited to see if this awesome place is for us!
I hope you have a wonderful visit. Please let me know if you need anything. We are from Central CT, originally.
@Christine,
Hi Christine where abouts did you grow up in Connecticut I’m from Cheshire myself…
Right outside in the southern suburbs of Hartford. Cheshire is a great area!
Thank you for the fantastic and very informative post!
I currently live in Atlanta and about to start a fully remote job so my location is now very flexible and I’m very eager to escape Atlanta’s summer. Asheville is one of the cities on my list of possibilities. Given that, how is humidity and the bugs in the summer? For me, those are the biggest deal breakers.
Thank you.
Elena
Hey Elena. Thank you! As former Floridians, we know all about that humidity. Asheville will see a few humid and oppressive summer days, but it’s usually not too bad. I also don’t think we have a lot of summer bugs. Our home sees more bees and bears than anything else. I hope that helps!
As others have already commented, thank you so much for writing such a detailed description of what it is like living in Asheville. I currently live on Treasure Island in the Tampa Bay Area and I share many of your feelings regarding Florida. I have been searching for years for the “perfect” spot for me. I recently took a trip down the Pacific coast from Seattle to Monterey. I love the west coast but Asheville is on the list too.
Thank you so much! We headed to the St. Pete, Treasure Island, and Tampa area frequently when we lived in Florida. I hope you find the perfect spot!