13 Undeniable Reasons For Moving To Asheville, North Carolina
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Are you thinking of moving to Asheville, North Carolina? Here are 13 reasons why we are moving to North Carolina from the Sunshine State, Florida. Find vegan restaurants, Biltmore, DuPont State Forest, Asheville breweries, fall foliage, and so much more.
We had no intention of moving to Asheville, NC. None at all. Native New Englanders, we didn’t love living in Florida, but we had accepted our career fate.
But then, one weekend, flights thwarted our vacation plans to Puerto Rico. We ended up in Asheville, North Carolina as our second destination of choice.
Within 24-hours, we decided to move to Western North Carolina. Within the month, we bought a house in an established AVL neighborhood. Y’all, we don’t mess around.
So, why are we moving to Asheville, North Carolina? How did this happen virtually overnight? Asheville bewitched us with beer, bookstores, culture, and hiking. I blame the Blue Ridge Mountains.
We are sharing our reasons for moving to Asheville, and will hopefully better inform your questions and decisions if moving to Asheville is right for you.
Table of Contents
But First, Don’t Miss Our Asheville Travel Blog, Uncorked Asheville
Since moving to Asheville over a year and a half ago, we started an Asheville travel blog, Uncorked Asheville. Experience Asheville like a local. That’s our goal — sharing the magic of Asheville, NC with you.
You can sign-up for Asheville updates — including new restaurants, fabulous waterfall hikes, and authentic local recs — here. This Asheville blog is perfect for Asheville newbies, vacationers, travelers, and anyone considering a move to Asheville, NC.
You also don’t want to miss this post about what it’s actually like living in Asheville, NC now. If you are visiting Asheville, be sure to enjoy these Airbnb stays, too.
Why Did We Considering Moving To Asheville In The First Place? One Word: Florida
Bye, Felicia! Oops, I mean Florida.
Florida was our home for the past 8 years. When my husband’s commercial airline base closed, we decided to move to the next base in Central Florida. There may or may not have been sobbing in a La Quinta hotel room with hysterical not-so-whispers of please don’t make me move to Florida.
All of our family is in CT. This New England girl loves her seasons, rolling hills, and uhhhh, let’s call it culture. Let’s just brush that off and leave it there.
For me, Florida is semi-hell disguised as a beach. The traffic is insane, and although I am not a fatalist, driving there makes me want to take up religion. No one has ever said that they will miss Florida Man, either…
My eyes will never believe seeing Confederate flags proudly hanging in so many windows — which you will also see in Western North Carolina. Can everyone read Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, please?! Plus, work pays in sunshine (I can’t take credit for that phrase either).
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Florida’s beautiful beaches, owning a pool, and the fact that everything is open 24/7 for snowbirds and retirees. It is God’s waiting room, after all. Put your thumbs away; I didn’t coin that truth.
Want to go to the brewery at noon? Not a problem. We lived for Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. Florida is a great vacation destination. A short-term relationship with no commitment. A one-night stand gone right. Friends with all of the benefits; no strings attached. You get it, right?!
I will be back for the beach and friends — if I have any left after reading this.
So, Florida, I am breaking up with you to move to Asheville, NC and here’s why:
13 Reasons Why We Are Moving To Asheville, North Carolina
1. The Blue Ridge Mountains
Did you ever fly into a destination and just feel like you were home? The number one reason we are moving to Asheville, North Carolina is because of those bluish-green mountains.
The Blue Ridge Mountains surround Asheville. Their smoke and mist must be some magical drug; I never want to leave them. I find the mountains inspirational just like Johnny Depp in Secret Window before it all goes wrong.
Maybe that’s a bad analogy.
Another way to look at it: George Vanderbilt decided that while some of his family members and the elite were settling in thriving cities like New York City, Paris, and Newport, he fell in love with Asheville, NC. In fact, George enjoyed Asheville so much that he built America’s largest home, Biltmore Estate.
F. Scott Fitzgerald also came to Asheville for vacations — staying at The Omni Grove Park Inn — while Zelda resided at Highlands Hospital, improving her mental health. Unfortunately, Zelda perished in the Highlands Hospital fire — so maybe moving to Asheville wasn’t so great for her.
2. Downtown Asheville, NC
The moment the plane landed, I knew that I wanted to live in Asheville. One of the deal-sealers: the knit pig on the lamp post with the mountain sunset and bubble machine in front of the board game cafe (which sadly closed in 2020). That’s too many yuppie words for me to comprehend in one sentence.
Where am I, Toto?
I am an old millennial; what can I say? Hello, rock climbing gym, endless restaurants and cafes, a giant iron, and urban street art. Which way should I turn? Dim sum tapas? Beer at which brewery? A drum circle in the square?
It will take me years to date you, Asheville. Bring. It. On.
Don’t miss all of the Things You Can Do In Asheville, NC.
3. Vegan and Gluten-Free Restaurants
Did you know that Asheville is called Foodtopia? The city is a foodie’s dream.
I have UC and my husband has Celiac Disease. We are both lactose-intolerant. Most Florida restaurants, especially outside of the major cities, completely disregarded our severe food intolerances. It was frustrating as heck.
Asheville restaurants have dietary labels on most of the menus. The wait staff knows their stuff and attentively take care of everything without even blinking.
Our food options spread in front of us like a deck of cards during some magical foodie trick. Plus, although we are not vegan or veggie, we seek out this cuisine frequently.
Personally, I love Plant and Laughing Seed Cafe.
Don’t miss our entire Asheville Food & Drink Guide On Uncorked Asheville.
4. Battery Park Book Exchange
Moving to Asheville, North Carolina is a boozy and literary traveler’s dream. Our first night ever in Asheville, we landed at the Battery Park Book Exchange.
Literary cocktails, champagne between the stacks, and books for sale? Um, can I just live here? Plus, we saw a book club meeting along with other gatherings and celebrations. I’d have my 40th here. You in?! Sold.
P.S. These are my favorite North Carolina books so far.
Be Sure To Check Out Our Asheville, NC Travel Blog
Since writing this post, we, of course, moved to Asheville, North Carolina. AND IT’S BEEN THE BEST DECISION EVER! If you are traveling to Asheville, be sure to check out our Asheville-based blog, Uncorked Asheville. Find local tips, boozy itineraries, where to eat, and fun things to do for everyone. Sign-up for updates here.
5. Breweries Upon Breweries
[Channel Oprah Here] “And you get a brewery, and you get a brewery, and YOU GET A BREWERY.” I am a craft beer gal all of the way.
Asheville grows breweries like Florida spawns retirees and Florida Man memes. Whoops, did I go there? I am paralyzed with hoppy indecision. In fact, Asheville is building even more beer havens as I write this.
A few of my favorite Asheville breweries include Wicked Weed Brewing, Thirsty Monk, Wedge at Foundation, Zillicoah, and Bhramari Brewing Company.
Don’t miss the Best Asheville Breweries.
6. Biltmore Estate and Winery
Did you know that Biltmore is said to be America’s largest private estate and home? George Vanderbilt built this stunning icon, including an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, and gorgeous library.
After moving to Asheville, we traded in our annual Disney passes for Biltmore concerts and access to the grounds for the 22-miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails.
Can we talk about Biltmore Winery, too? One day is not enough to see and experience it all. No oaked Chardonnays and Syrahs are safe. You’ve been warned, Asheville.
Get the most out of your Biltmore Visit With These Locals Tips.
7. Hiking & Waterfalls
The second day we landed in Asheville, NC, we booked it out the door to DuPont State Forest in search of The Hunger Games waterfalls.
Did you know that Transylvania County is known as the “Land of Waterfalls?” There are over 200+ waterfalls in Western North Carolina. Asheville (NC Micropolitan Statistical Area) and Brevard fall into some of this area.
With gorgeous weather almost year-round, moving to Asheville means living in outdoor clothes 24/7 — if that’s your jam. The hiking trails across Western North Carolina never end. Asheville also has beautiful parks and gardens.
Mother Nature, you and I are going to be besties. Just keep those copperheads away from me, please.
8. Seasons
Speaking of weather: Hello, seasons; my old friend. People always complain about the snow, but when you never see it, you miss it.
And yes, I will death-grip the steering wheel and silently sob as I re-learn not only how to drive in snow and ice but also on winding, hilly roads. Driving in Iceland may have prepared us a little bit, but after 8 years in Florida, I still have to look up “hill” in the dictionary.
Plus, you know about fall in Asheville, right? People flock to see the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway foliage. You also have the famous Hendersonville apple orchards with cider donuts and slushies.
Lastly, since moving to Asheville, we bought a house. It has a gas fireplace. Imagine four kitty stockings hanging on the mantle during a white Christmas — which we had in 2020. It snows in Asheville, but it’s usually a light dusting.
9. Homes With Personality
I can’t complain. My cement, stucco, one-story Florida home saved our butts through multiple scary hurricanes. The house was a tank.
I loved its modern touches, but I miss older homes. New England houses and Asheville homes have character and not just characters lurking outside.
Our new Asheville home is a colonial. Le sigh. The rooms are cozy, and f’ me: is that a basement?!?!?!
10. Traffic and Driving
Everyone tells us how bad Asheville traffic is. Um, I dare you to go on I-4 through Orlando, Disney, and the outlets. It could take me two to three hours to go 20-30 minutes at least once a week. Insert hysterical laugh.
We are stoked that within 30-minutes, we can be across Asheville and into other happening cities as well as the airport. Most places are a 5 to 15-minute drive from us, including the eye doctor, dentist, and GI. In Florida, it’s an hour to get to a good doctor (and don’t get me started on Florida’s healthcare system).
Granted, staying in my lines for those turns is still a challenge. Whereas in Florida, I was a speed demon to stay alive with the aggressive and awful drivers, in NC, I am humbly slow. P.S. Motion sickness is for real in the Asheville mountains.
11. Wine
Wait, what?! Isn’t Asheville home to all of the craft beer? It is, but there is also WINE. Of course, this isn’t CA, and the number one question I receive from Californians moving to Asheville (and yes, there are a lot of you), is if the wine is any good.
In the U.S., I am not sure if anything compares to CA wine. But, there are a ton of wineries near Asheville, especially in Hendersonville and Flat Rock. We missed having good wineries while living in Florida.
Like Florida, the muscadine grape — which I don’t particularly care for — grows in North Carolina. However, unlike Florida, we have more than those fruity wines, too. Our favorite wineries in WNC include Stone Ashe and Marked Tree Vineyards.
12. Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) has been named one of the prettiest spots in the United States. In the fall, the BRP lights up with gorgeous foliage.
This winding two-lane road is home to scenic overlooks, wildlife, hiking trails, waterfalls, and cabin getaways. The entire Parkway spans from Cherokee, North Carolina — home to the elk — all the way to Virginia.
Bikers, motorcyclists, road trippers, RVers…you name it…all take to the BRP for the peaceful views. Parts of the Parkway will close in the winter for ice — just in case you are visiting Asheville then.
13. Everything! Quality Of Life, Culture, Community
This goes without saying, but we are moving to Asheville, NC because it rocks.
I love the vintage pinball museum, liberal vibes, and community-oriented, local support. People are friendly, including mountain-giddy tourists.
Outdoorsy folk thrive as well as artists, digital nomads, and writers. There is so much to see and do. I can’t even begin to describe it; so, you better visit us to see for yourself.
Considering moving to Asheville? Want to check out WNC? Where can you stay?
Don’t miss these Asheville Airbnb stays→
Aloft – Downtown Asheville – If you are looking to stay in the heart of downtown Asheville, the Aloft hotel is newly renovated as of 2020. You’ll love the brilliant local murals, updated rooms, and trendy public areas, including a rooftop pool, bar, and ledge overlooking all of Asheville.
Hampton Inn And Suites Asheville Biltmore Area – Although this hotel is on busy Brevard Road – NC-191 – across from the Asheville Outlets, we stayed here before moving to Asheville. Clean, updated, and in the middle of everything, you can easily access downtown, Biltmore, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
1898 Waverly Inn Bed and Breakfast — While looking for houses in 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. You can walk into downtown Hendersonville.
So, are you moving to Asheville, NC?
We are thrilled to call Asheville, North Carolina our new home. You can see how living in Asheville worked out here on Uncorked Asheville.
Let us know if you have any questions or are visiting Asheville. If you hate that I ranked on Florida, well, don’t let me know.
And thanks, Florida; it’s been real. Real hot.
We originally published 13 Reasons For Moving to Asheville on June 12, 2019 & have updated this post for 2021.
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Did you love many of the pictures in this post? Sarah Resta is an international and local Asheville engagement and wedding photographer for Sarah Resta Photography. As a partner, we highly recommend Sarah. Tell her that Christine, The Uncorked Librarian, sent you when you book her.
Christine Frascarelli
Christine (she/her) is the owner, lead editor, and tipsy book sommelier of The Uncorked Librarian LLC, an online literary publication showcasing books and movies to inspire travel and home to the famed Uncorked Reading Challenge.
With a BA in English & History from Smith College, an MLIS from USF-Tampa, and a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship in Christine's back pocket, there isn't a bookstore, library, or winery that can hide from her. Christine loves brewery yoga, adopting all of the kitties, and a glass of oaked Chardonnay. Charcuterie is her favorite food group.
You really need to mention the overcrowding. The bums and panhandlers. You make Asheville look like it’s great, but as with all places it’s also not so great. Downtown is a mess at night most times. Especially with all the panhandlers. We were at a restaurant one night and were followed by a bum begging for my doggie bag. It is a serious problem that is made worse by the tourists that tend to give money to people that seem down on their luck. There’s also the fact that the “buy local” is a sham that I found out about. The farmer’s market is good, but Ingles will gouge you and then you only find out that Ingles isn’t a local store, but a chain owned by a company in TN. Sham. Sham. Sham!!
Seriously, you need to give people a heads up on the bad as well. The market here will gouge you! Houses sell for upwards in to the millions and unless you are well to do with a good job… Don’t expect to be able to live in Asheville without a flat mate or seven. I’m not from Asheville, but my hubby was born and raised here. Sadly, he said the real Asheville with real hippies and a fun feel is gone. It’s been replaced by a commercialist juggernaut that builds overpriced apartments and calls them condos. Welcome to Asheville. But I’m so glad we moved out of Buncombe county. (It’s 110% over the market value for NC.)
The views of the foothills are more breathtaking from the TN side. 😀
Hi Lisa, I’m honestly not so sure how to respond to this — as I find this comment about the homeless population to be inappropriate as well as lacking understanding of a much larger issue in America.
I also run a second site that talks about the pros and cons of living in Asheville (linked in this article) — this personal post is just what we loved and why we chose to move here.
Sure, like everywhere else, Asheville has traffic, tourists, crime, and an increase in housing costs. Asheville is quickly growing and changing. I don’t love my GI office, and the surrounding areas are a bit against my beliefs and values, politically.
I do live directly in Asheville, and while I agree that housing prices have gone up (and I don’t love some of the new slapped up developments), our house was affordable and not in “the millions.” I don’t have 7 flatmates. But yes, some areas are much more expensive and less affordable than others. This tends to be true for a lot of city living.
It sounds like leaving Asheville was the best decision for you. I’m happy that you are enjoying TN. We’ve been to Knoxville, Clarksville, Dollywood, and Nashville. I’d love to tour more of the state.
My mom keeps talking about wanting to visit Asheville when we’re able to travel again. I’m a little worried because she might not want to leave, especially if I show her this blog post beforehand. She’s always dreamed of coming here and seeing all the gorgeous things Asheville has to offer, I think she’ll be more adamant about it than ever. XD
That would be so fun if your mom moved to Asheville. If she comes to visit, please let us know! We never wanted to leave; haha — It’s a valid concern!
Thank you so much for posting this. My husband and I are considering a relocation to Asheville from Los Angeles. We both grew up in the midwest but we’ve lived in LA for over a decade now. I’ve seen A LOT of anti-California sentiment expressed in online Asheville forums. I respect the reasons locals would resent a California exodus landing in their city. If we do decide to move, we plan to be very conscious of not driving up the housing costs and being contributing members to our community (though honestly, we’re as homebody as you can get and mind our own business).
I put all this out there because I’m wondering if the sentiment/frustration against Californians is so high in Asheville at this point that we would have to worry about being ostracized. If you had time to reply with your take on that, I’d appreciate it. In either case, thank you for the insights in your article and for your responses to the comments. It’s been very helpful for us as we research.
Hi Mary! I would just advise ignoring the forums. I’m from CT, but as you know, we moved up from Florida — and you’ll see a ton of nasty comments about Floridians moving to AVL in those forums and on FB, too. I run another local blog, Uncorked Asheville at uncorkedasheville.com, and occasionally a grumpy (supposed) local will say some pretty wild things to me. I just delete or ignore it. Some comments are more telling of the 2016-2020 political climate, too.
However, this ‘resentment’ is not the overall sentiment here in Asheville, at all. Everyone has been SO nice and respectful to us. Never once have we felt unwelcomed or uncomfortable in person. People online just seem to troll and love the anonymity of it all — I say this as a seasoned blogger, too. I’d guess that many weren’t even born here themselves.
Cities grow and change along with traffic and congestion, regardless of who moves and who doesn’t. Asheville has a huge transient population, and the city’s businesses thrive off of tourists and new residents.
I’ve also lived all over the world, including Indonesia, and the world is our home. As with traveling, yes, of course, respect everyone’s home and space, but everyone should be welcome to live wherever they wish. We bought a home in an established AVL neighborhood and our jobs and spending contribute to the Asheville economy. I don’t think anyone — in person — would deny that.
I have a very similar story to yours – NH girl, grew up in PA, we lived in Palm Harbor FL (straight up from Clearwater, straight west from Tampa) for 4 and a half years, and just moved to Hickory NC at the end of January. I felt exactly the same about Florida – it was never going to be forever. I miss the 10 minute drive to the beach, hockey games, and Disney. That’s it!
Sadly we haven’t been able to explore our new home too much since Corona hit soon after we got settled. But we did just drive over to Asheville and check out the Biltmore Village, and fell in love with Black Mountain too. So many cute shops! We had a couple quick trips to Blowing Rock, but that’s the extent of our explorations. Hickory has been great so far. You get the small town vibe but everything we need is right here.
The winding roads were like a novelty to me for the first month or so! I was so used to 6 lane highways in FL, in stop and go traffic where I saw my life flash before my eyes on the daily. Now I brake for foxes.
I’ll be keeping up on your adventures for some weekend ideas, and I’ve got your Biltmore article open in another tab ready to read!!
Hey Aryn, Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment. I actually have a best friend in Palm Harbor! We are totally missing the beach.
I haven’t visited Hickory yet, but like you, the pandemic really hit us hard, making exploration pretty much impossible. We got here, started looking around, and then BAM, everything shut down. I’m glad we had the fall, at least.
The NC winding roads are WILD. I have to drive or I get car sick. I also have to get used to putting on my emergency car brake on hills…and not rolling down into people’s garages.
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy NC; we have been loving what we are able to do, especially hiking and the beer. We are both Biltmore and NC Arboretum annual passholders and are loving it!
How do you think refugees from northern California wine country would do in Asheville area? We are contemplating move because of all that is going on in CA, mostly negative, and being closer to family, friends.
Hmmmm, that is a good question! I don’t think you’ll find as good of wine here, even though Hendersonville has three wineries. It really depends on what you are looking for, too. A few of our neighbors are from CA, and they love it. If you like hiking, short commutes, and less traffic with culture, you’ll enjoy Asheville. It’s still the south, and I am always worried that some people might feel trapped. It feels both big (road trips) and small. We are also about 4-4.5 hours from the beach.
This article was SO helpful! My husband and I currently have a long distance marriage (he’s in Virginia Beach, I’m in Baltimore for my trauma year). He is interviewing for his dream job in Asheville! Seems like a beautiful place to live!
I am thrilled to hear that! Thanks so much for letting me know, too. Good luck to your husband on his dream job–that’s awesome. We love living in Asheville. If you ever have moving questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Haha I did an internship in Key Largo for 6 months, and when I arrived in August (from Northern NY where I’d been working on a windy island out on Lake Ontario all summer), I melted. For the first couple weeks I could hardly function, so good for you for lasting 8 whole years! So excited to follow along on all your new adventures in Asheville!
Haha! I do not miss that heat for anything. I have to get used to the dry Asheville winters, though. I need a humidifier lol! I definitely prefer the North Carolina weather to Florida. The sun and oppressive heat is not for me.
Thank you a lot for this great blog information.
Thank you!
Hi Christine! My husband and I moved to Asheville this year. Our families live in north Georgia and Kingsport, Tennessee and we both grew up in those areas, so we aren’t exactly Asheville natives but our homelands are nearby. I decided to move to Asheville after seeing what turned out to be housing scams on Craigslist. There were so many beautiful rentals that seemed affordable, or so I thought! So, we both moved here without any jobs (we started searching right away) and we found a tiny house for rent in the adorable town of Black Mountain. Within about two months I landed two part-time jobs as a tour guide on the Blue Ridge Parkway and at the Biltmore Estate. My husband found a position with Sierra Nevada.
After living nearby to Asheville for almost a year now, I can say it has been a challenging but rewarding place to call home. As a couple who LOVES to hike, camp, explore & are foodies, western North Carolina is a mountain paradise. It is absolutely breathtaking spring, summer, fall and the winter’s are tolerable. I grew up in north Georgia and the climate/terrain is almost exactly the same just a bit further south. The people have been nice, although through my jobs I have mostly met tourists from Florida and a few other states.
My husband and I have really enjoyed some of the local shopping at places like Hopey & CO., Trader Joes, and eating at local restaurants & the 80 + breweries. I have spent a lot of time exploring around the Biltmore Estate as well. We have skied up at Sugar Mountain and Wolf Laurel and have hiked miles through the Blue Ridge mountains. We don’t let the dust settle on our shoes and try to get out as much as possible, haha.
I have lived in many other states: Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana and North Carolina is by far one of my favorites. Asheville residents are indeed rent burdened and the cost of living is higher here than many parts of the country. In many ways, Asheville is exactly what you would expect from a seasonal tourist destination. Beautiful, good food, and crowded. I know the city is working on building more affordable housing but that’s beyond my scope of knowledge. I think more tiny houses could help. 🙂
I feel torn between staying near Asheville and leaving. In some ways, it is a perfect place to live for people who truly appreciate the biodiversity, history, and culture of the area. On the other hand, starting out as young adults in a such a coveted place to reside can pose a struggle. It has been an adventure!
Anyway, I’d love to meet you in person. We are also in search of “cool friends” who recognize the awesomeness of Batter Park Book Exchange!
Good luck in the Land of the Sky,
Katie
Hey Katie,
Thank you so much for the kind message! We do make pretty cool friends. You can drop me an email at [email protected] and maybe we can plan something for after the holidays. The Battery Park Book Exchange is indeed awesome, and I wish that we could make their NYE party. There are so many great things happening in and around Asheville this month.
Your two jobs sounds pretty cool! That’s also incredibly brave to move to a location without having jobs secured first. I love that you just went for it! I’ve never had the guts to do that (I wish I did; maybe one day!), but we met a photographer here who went for it, as well; she loves it and secured a roomie. My husband was able to transfer for work, and even when I moved to Indonesia for a bit, I had a gig lined up. That always seems to make it easier, when possible. For FL, my husband transferred, and I had to look for a job once there. That was pretty stressful for me since we were planning and paying for our wedding.
For Asheville, we decided to go all in and buy a house before we really knew the area. We came up one weekend just to look for a place to live and left contracted. Thankfully, I LOVE where we live. For us, this was the cheaper way to go, and we have FOUR cats…which makes life so difficult. No apartments or easy renting for us. Moving from one house, we really needed another too. We own too much crap. For our FL move, we staked out apartments in advance–which oddly fell through last minute–but thankfully knew more of what we were getting into pricing and availabilty-wise. They don’t have rent control in FL–that was INSANE.
I always wondered what it would be like to work at the Biltmore, especially in the winery. The Grove Park Inn seems kind of magical too. Congrats to both you and your husband on getting jobs right away. Sierra Nevada is huge, and we still have some exploring to do. I love their duck fries. I hope you guys get lots of perks!
I love your tiny houses plan! Some of the homes in the heart of downtown Asheville are a tad pricy, but we are also used to CT (and New England) taxes and a very high cost of living. Florida actually–in theory–seems like a cheap place to live, but I found the jobs pay very little with everything else costing average prices. The joke was that the state paid you in sunshine. I was not laughing, lol. The only difference with Florida is that there is no state income tax. That’s why FL gets so many retirees. I don’t blame them, either.
We wondered if Asheville would be overcrowded, but we only find that certain months or even weeks get a little busier with the tourists. Then, everything seems to settle down. We just avoid those places until then and stay with local secrets. The only thing that we definitely realized right away was to make weekend dinner reservations in advance. You just never know when a place will book up fast. But, sometimes it is the locals that take over too. However, we lived in Central Florida near Disney–nothing was like booking those restaurants MONTHS to beyond half a year out. AHHH!!! And we never plan ahead.
I *think* I’m going to update this post to share what it’s now like living in Asheville. I will say that my SUV does not easily fit down these tiny streets and small parking lots. I-26 can get crazy with traffic–but that is due to that construction. Will it ever end?
Happy holidays! I look forward to hearing from you. I hope you do stay in/near Asheville, if you are happy here! I feel like every place has its ups and downs. It just depends which ones equal out for you. I’m still in love with NC so far, and I’m so glad we moved here.
Thanks for bringing even more people to this over populated area. I wish people like you would stay were you were. You just don’t get it, locals dont want you here. The over priced housing, destruction of the mountains to build homes for you Floridians it’s disgusting. I really hope you don’t stay for long.
I’m so sorry that you feel this way, Melissa. Both my husband and I work hard as well as contribute to the Asheville and NC economy through work, donations, taxes, owning an older (established) home, hiring locally, and commerce. We have lived all over the world due to the nature of our jobs–we don’t always get to pick where we live for work; it’s special when we do.
Everyone in Asheville–long-time locals and transplants–have truly been so kind and welcoming. Everyone is always welcome in our home(s), as well.
As noted in the article, we were born and raised in New England, but we do hope to retire in our families’ homeland one day–Italy, where our families migrated from for a better quality of life. For now, of course, we will be staying in Asheville and always giving back and embracing our neighbors.
Asheville is full of locals and people from all over the world, which is what makes the city so special, kind, tolerant, and amazing. We see this diversity every day in the shops, food, and amongst our neighbors. I always hope that these cities retain their charm, too, with the ebb and flow of people that come in and out of them. I think that starts with kindness, open-mindedness, giving back, and tolerance.
I also hope that if you ever relocate–whether by choice or due to circumstances–that people welcome and greet you with nothing but kindness.
I am currently happy where I live but if I could move anywhere else it would definitely be Asheville! Every time I have visited it is always peaceful and quaint. Thanks for sharing!
Asheville is definitely peaceful with the mountains in the background. I find them so inspiring.
Wow. I am now an Asheville groupie! I grew up going to Biltmore and kind of remember it, but the detail in which you share all of the great qualities of this town makes me want to turn my keys into my DC area digs, stay! I am so happy for you that you found a place for you guys that checks the boxes. I thought DC area would be my forever place being a native Georgia peach. But after 16 years I am now looking for less crowds and annoyances and am too mystified by NC. It is south for sure, but the debutante cousin of the other southern states imho. Hope to see you there soon!
I am SUCH an Asheville groupie now–I love that term lol!
DC is so great too, and I’ve always eyed southern Maryland. I did hear that it is getting crazy busy, though.
Moving to Asheville has been great; we are about a month in now. We are more and more in love with it every weekend, and you know I love these mountains. We adore the hiking areas, great food, and culture. Plus, Asheville feels more like the south than FL, and we are looking forward to those seasons. I’ve been devouring the fresh Georgia peaches sold in the stores here.
The Biltmore is great, and we are still waiting to get passes once our moving expenses die down. I love that they host events, have hiking trails, and have a winery.
Please let us know if you are ever in town–or move here. I am trying to get EVERYONE to move here lol!
I can so relate to the seasons reason. I lived in Colorado as a kid and definitely didn’t appreciate what I had. But after years of living in the Persian Gulf, I was excited every time it rained when I first moved to England. I’m a bit over it now. Although as the summer heat wave surges on, rain is still my favourite thing. When you don’t have it, you miss it! I loved the Persian Gulf, but man do I also love seasons. And I don’t mean the monsoon kind…
Asheville sounds lovely. There’s so much to see and do, so I can see why it’s popular. I’ve never been to NC (at least not that I can remember), but totally fell in love with Charleston, SC when I visited years ago. I love when a place just instantly feels like home!
It’s also good to know we’ll have plenty of food options when we come visit 😉
Charleston is another great place. We went maybe two years ago; I will say that it has changed quite a bit, which was good and a little sad. The first time I visited Charleston was in college, and it definitely hadn’t gone full-blown tourist yet. Ten years later, I hardly recognized it! I still love the history and spooky everything there. It has the palm trees that I will miss, and I love the cities cute (and haunted) taverns. We are hoping to visit more since Charleston is closer to Asheville (4 hours) and offers us the beach–that I will now miss. Charleston was over a 7-hour drive from Florida.
We definitely took for granted our pool and the beach in Florida. I will miss them, dearly.
You will love Asheville for all of the vegan and veggie food options. That’s all that we ate while we were there visiting.
I would love to see Colorado one day! I’m going to be on this huge mountain kick for the next few years.
Thank you SO much! I’m sure I will be asking you for lots of decorating advice. Just saw your email with websites to check out! Thank you! I definitely will take a picture of our (green tiled…ahem) fireplace with kitty stockings! Asheville just sung to us!
I can’t wait to visit! It sounds like my perfect place.
We felt really similarly about Sydney. Yes the beaches are great and they do great food but that’s kinda it. The roads were genuine mazes, there were no seasons (I feel very strongly about this like you), it was so far from home and quality of life SUCKED because you couldn’t save any money because cost of living was through the roof. But everyone is always like omg why would you ever leave Sydney and it’s like Bitch please, it’s great to visit but never to live. Same as Berlin! These places are tourist destinations and nothing more, in my opinion. It’s why I just can’t settle right now, I need to be on the move constantly 🙁
“Bitch, please.” I am dying. It is so true, though. I feel the exact same way about living in Florida. It’s tourist heaven but that it’s. Come, enjoy your beaches and time here, and then leave for a working wage, cleaner air, less traffic, a better quality of life, and seasons.
You guys would love Asheville! Can’t wait until you visit!
So many great reasons to move to Ashville. I am so excited to hear that you are moving to a place with so much to offer. It’s so important to fall in love with where you are moving to. I know at the time, I liked where we moved 12 years ago, but now I’m so eager to move away from here. I hope that when I do I can find a place even half as amazing as Ashville sounds because that would be a huge upgrade for us.
Hey Sarah, thank you so much for sharing in our excitement! I am kind of a restless soul, which can be good and equally bad. I always like to change things up after a while whether it be a job, home, or a few hobbies. I love and appreciate all that I have too, but the change makes me grow and get ‘unsettled,’ which I need. Moving is so dang hard and stressful too, though. Adjusting, even when excited, is a little anxiety-inducing. I hope you find a fabulous next home too!