Asheville,NC

Lana, Asheville is considered one of the top spots in the nation to live. It is beautiful, within driving distance of beautiful Smokey mountains, nestled at the foot of them in fact. Look it up on google as a place to live - truly not a bad place at all.

Asheville is one of the most beautiful areas in the world! I live just over the border in Cocke Co., TN. Asheville is a very artsy area with a wonderful, walkable downtown, with cute boutiques including my favorite bead shop! They have the Southern Highlands art and craft show twice a year (it was last weekend)and is a low crime area. Tiny, compared to NYC, but I grew up in Atlanta and would be misserable moving back to a city. (Shopping on line is helpful when you can't find the thing you want local)
Good luck! The people are nice and friendly!

Hi L.,

I live in TN, in the Knoxville area and visit Asheville often. Asheville is a beautiful little city, tucked into the mountains of NC. It is a college/artsy town, with a lot of diversity and culture. As always, in the south there are many churches to choose from, so you should have no trouble finding a church home.

I understand your reservations about moving to a new area. However, if I knew I would have to move, Asheville would be on my short list of preferred places.

All the best to you and your family!
S.

Asheville is a beautiful area of the country. One of my dear friends moved their and loved it! The mountains are beautiful, the people are warm, and there are great craftsmen in the mountains. Jobs are so hard to come by right now, I would encourage you to move. You can always move back to where you are currently living when the economy gets better.

Asheville is fantastic!! We love it here. Wonderful place for children, families, people... beautiful mountains, great music, food, culture, friendly and diverse people. I would definitely recommend giving it a try, especially if you need the employment. If it doesn't work out, you can always move back, but I imagine you'll never want to leave. Just don't tell anyone else how amazing it is!!

I've been to Asheville and love it. I've heard it's a great place to live. With Biltmore and the University there, you won't lack for culture. I think you should do it. Good luck.

L.-

I live in Kentucky. We have visited that area more than once just to vacation and as the others have said it is a beautiful area of our country. I know that moving and change are sometimes hard to embrace, but if it were me - I would consider moving. If you have not done so yet - I would visit. If you are driving you might want to visit before Thanksgiving because sometimes the interstate going through the mountain can be stressful when it is cold and wet or snowy. The leaves on the trees are turning and it makes it even prettier this time of year.

Not sure, but the cost of living in Asheville, NC may be less expensive than NYC - or at least I would think and that could be really nice!

you are so lucky. my husband and i would love to live in asheville, but cannot find employment. good schools, beautiful scenery, art, culture. move and enjoy, and if you don't tell me what job your husband turned down so we can apply.

I live in Chapel Hill, NC. Ashville is a beautiful town in the mountains of NC. The suttoundings, everyplace you go, is gorgeous. There is a college there, University of NC of Ashville. My suggestion is to get involved in theatre at the university. The town has good restaurants, many with all natural foods, bakeries with natural all grain breads. It won't be NYC, but it will be good, and you will have many opportunities for your young men, to raise them in a clean environment.

Oh wow, Asheville is gorgeous! It's a mountain tourist destinations for folks living in the south. It's a small town, but has everything you need nearby since again, it hosts lots of tourists. Also home to the Biltmore (Vanderbilt mansion), which is beautiful in the fall and decorated for Christmas. We'd love to live there!

Asheville is AWESOME!! Much safer to raise children than NY, and BEAUTIFUL!! People in the south are very friendly and I think you would feel very welcome and fall in love with it soon! Go for it!!!! Good luck and God Bless!

.

We are looking to move to NC also. My husband is an ordained minister and feeling God leading us that way to start a church in much needed area. Asheville is on our list of places to consider moving to. I know it's a beautiful place from pictures and shows on tv that I've seen. What an exciting adventure it is following God ! I'm a little scared about moving to a place where I wont know anybody, but God's plan is always better then ours. I pray you will find the right area to move to. God bless !

I live in Asheville and I love it. I moved here two years ago. I grew up in NC, but hadn't lived in NC for over 20 years. Those years were split between Prescott, Arizona and Bangkok, Thailand. I work as a photographer. I couldn't imagine a place that blends all that I love about both of those places more beautifully.

Asheville has a definite mountain/earthy feel, very artsy, and plenty of great, healthy food. Lots of outdoor activity potential. It's also culturally diverse (although not as much as I might wish sometimes, but I meet that need through travel). But visually from certain angles Asheville streetscapes sometimes help me imagine I'm in a really big city. There is not a lack of things to do here.

I'm a photographer, as I said. You can't throw a rock without hitting another photographer or artist for that matter. But I'm doing well. In certain fields you have to be on the top of your game here. It is ultra-saturated here with natural health and art. It's also a city of transplants. Not many people seem to be from here. It attracts people from all over the place. However, the local hype is big. Buy local is the mantra, so your clothing might do well. There are other clothing designers here, some who specialize in children's clothes.

I have to market myself outside of the area to survive. I do need to travel for work still. It takes time setting up a creative business here, but luckily your husband is hooked up!

I'm not a Christian but Asheville is in the Bible Belt. I understand you're a Christian. I hear that Christians are happy here (first hand knowledge). The mayor is a Christian and loves this city. It's hard not to.

Schools here are wonderful - some of the best in the state and NC is known for its good schools. You have a lot of choice. My son goes to Evergreen.

I grew up in Atlanta, but not being a city girl, moved to North GA and after living in 4 states, we've settled in Western NC, about an hour from Asheville. We are conservative, and I am not much of a big shopper, so I don't feel the need for the CITY life or too much culturally, but have friends and family that absolutely LOVE Asheville for those reasons. Asheville is pretty liberal, lots of sexual preferences congregate in the area - very artsy and earthy if you prefer that, but you can find conservative places as well.

One of our favorite spots around there is Black Mountain, but its a tourist town - I wanted to live there, but cost of living in that small area was too much to be realistic about raising kids there. Flat Rock is also nice, depends on what part of Asheville he would work in, how long a commute you'd want, etc.... But LOTS of sports for the kids, as well as more to choose from performing arts-wise, if you and/or your kids want to do that. I'd say, next to Atlanta, Asheville is one of the closest-to-NY experiences as far as living. And the cost of living in NC as a whole is slightly higher than our surrounding states, but NOTHING compared to NY. I have a good friend that works at Juilliard and they are always complaining about how much cheaper things are here and why they can't have the best of both worlds! :)

PS - I have a Hungarian friend that really misses her homeland, and she actually lives over the state line from us in GA, but goes to Asheville alot to meet up with other European groups of people - they really provide alot of support for those who miss Europe and have to live here in the states (she kind of feels "stuck" now, with her hubby and child, but she is VERY homesick even though they go back to Hungary for 2 months every summer and she works at an International Boarding/College Prep School). She might have some helpful advice or contacts for you, if you end up moving this way.

And hey, it's not nearly as cold here in the winter! :)
God bless you and your family as you make this difficult choice...
A.
PS - you could probably do a good business selling the boys clothes you make - lots of people with lots of money live in Asheville and would pay good money for unique stuff like that!

L.,

I see you are from Holly Springs, NC and while I don't know where that is I can say it's likely that Asheville is a little bit bigger than it is. I love Asheville. It's a very nice mountain city. I love it there and if my husband were offered a job and asked to move there, I would. I would have no problem. I see you try to allow God to guide and direct your path. I would earnest pray about the decision and then both of you sit down and discuss the pros and cons. I would also make a trip there for a weekend to see how you guys think you would like it. I tell you though, if you go there you will fall in love with it. I think it's one of the prettiest cities/areas in North Carolina. It's not so big that you feel like you live in NY but it's not so small that you don't have the resources and amenitites you like such as dining, shopping, attractions. I hear they have a good school system too. I would definitely consider the move. I don't know how far away it is from Holly Springs but I say pray about it, put your faith and trust in God and take a leap of faith. The Bible tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. Things may not appear to you what you want but if we always acknowledge God in our decisions he will direct our paths. We can't go wrong if he's doing the leading. It is a big decision to make and the way the job market is now, I'd be nervous about not accepting the job. Good luck and God Bless.

Asheville is a lovely small city. It is kind of a quirky place in that it is in the center of the Bible Belt, so there is a large Conservative Christian population and lots of churches, yet there is also a large population of liberal/artsy types. It makes for a city that is good for raising a family but also a place with cool restaurants, shops, bookstores, art galleries, environmentally conscious efforts, etc. The downtown is thriving (at least it was last time I was there), and the downtown area hosts several festivals every year (Belle Chere is a big one). There are some great attractions--Biltmore House, Biltmore Village, Grove Park Inn (which has spa, restaurants) for entertaining out of town guests. Since you have lived in NYC (I have as well) you probably like living around a mix of different types of people, so Asheville is nice for that reason. If your family likes outdoor things, there are tons of options--whitewater rafting, hiking, camping, etc. I haven't lived in the area for years, so I don't know of any sections specifically to recommend for housing. The North Carolina school systems tend to be pretty good, and as far as I know Asheville's is ranked pretty well. There are also some good private schools in the area. The only thing I really don't like about Asheville is that it is pretty isolated because it is in the mountains. There are some great small towns nearby, but to get to larger cities you have to drive to Atlanta or Charlotte, so you're looking at several hours each way to get to those. Asheville does have a pretty good airport and offers some good rates, so that's an option for getting away. There is one OK indoor shopping mall and of course several of the big chain stores scattered around the area. There is kind of a sparse feel to some parts of the city, which sounds weird, but I don't know how else to describe it. I would think the best thing for you to do is visit and see how you like the feel of it. Good luck!

Asheville is a nice town. I live about 1 hour away from there. I'm sure it would be a hugh change for you. I have have never been to NYC so no idea how big a change. Asheville has good doctors, good hospitals, I hear the schools are good. It has shopping that is quite nice- not NY but... Its airport has direct flight to NY, a little higher flights then Spartenburg, Charolete or Atlanta. It is a melting pot so you do see all walks of life in Asheville. Good luck in all that you do. Listen to God and he will guide you!

Wow you got plenty of votes for Asheville - I was born an hour and a half away in Johnson City, TN area - I love the Asheville, too.

Just wanted to add another vote; to tell you my mother's name is L. C (L. Crain) :)...and that I appreciate your bio. Bless you! Great story...

J.
www.joyboudreau.com

i live in Morganton, NC an hour east of Asheville. We go to Asheville a lot for appointments (good alternative options), shopping at Earth Fare, business connections, entertainment (always something cool going on there) and our favorite little art gallery (The New Morning Gallery in Biltmore Village).

I am also from Iowa, so, too have made the North to South switch. AND IT IS JUST FINE. I have felt it much more here than you will in A'ville (M'ton is small and conservative, A'ville is eclectic and progressive). People really do talk more slowly, ask what church you are from first in a conversation, and you may never "be from around here" (I've been here 25 yrs and have not made the cut....) Yet there are wonderful people ANYWHERE, and I have found MANY here. You will, too.

Also, being in the South and making my home here (raising kids, finding a place for our souls) has warmed my heart in an interesting way to my home in the Midwest. We have decided not to go back there (we are really happy here and can't imagine uprooting to "go back home" not knowing just that would bring) and yet I feel very attached and warm toward Iowa and its people. It will always call to me, and I am also content right here.

H.

I have a good friend that picked up and moved to Asheville to start a church with her hubby and children. (Fellowship Bible Church). They love it there. It is beautiful, friendly, and there are a lot of things to do in the area. Good luck with the move.

Hi L.!!

All the replies here echo what am about to say. Asheville is a beautiful place to live!! The scenery is awesome, very culturally diverse - people, restaurants, stores, and generally just a good place live.

I went to school out there and loved all the 4 years out there. Wish I could find a job and move back!

A.