# Tell me about Asheville, NC **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827 "2010-02-21T01:12:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TagAmos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TagAmos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TagAmos)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/41 "2010-02-23T16:58:30Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > As for the Charlotte area, there a number of choices for suburbs: > > - The Lake Norman area: about 20 miles north of Charlotte, right off on I-77. The commute to/from the city can be pretty bad. It’s a large lake if you’'re into boating. Not much for swimming though (only a few small public beaches.) Towns in the area are Huntersville, Cornelius, Mooresville, Davidson, Denver and others. > > . I grew up in the Lake Norman area (Huntersville, to be precise) in the 1970s and 80s. At that time the population was about 2000 people. It now has about 35,000 people. Even though I miss the old farming/cattle community of years gone by, I have to admit the amenities Lake Norman now has are very nice and very convenient. Anyone living there rarely has to go into Charlotte for anything. I would also like to mention the Concord/Kannapolis area just East of Charlotte (about 15-20 miles). It is rapidly growing and is a fairly easy commute into Charlotte. Another benefit regarding the Charlotte area is the job opportunities. Industry has spilled into the surrounding areas in all directions so that finding a job outside the city limits is fairly easy. Furthermore, Charlotte is the hub for the Carolinas Medical Center juggernaut. Plenty of medical jobs are available. As far as the people, I have always found them accepting and pleasant. Of course, I’m one of them so I’m admittedly biased. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/42 "2010-02-23T16:58:51Z")
Chapel Hill has been liberal for a very long time. In the 60s Jesse Helms said “We don’t need a new state zoo, just put a fence around Chapel Hill” One thing I find amusing is a large chunk of Duke professors live in Chapel Hill instead of Durham. People commute from CH to RTP and Raleigh since outside of UNC there are not many jobs there. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/43 "2010-02-23T23:22:00Z")
> [@shirts\_with\_no\_numbers](#): > > You guys are awesome, thank you. I am still considering Asheville because there are so many aspects about it I like, and it is a little closer to family in Ohio - only drawback is the climate is not as “warm” as I would like, but would certainly be an improvement over Ohio winters! The mountains are beautiful, so it may make up for it 🙂 This winter’s not a good example, but most winters we only get one snow of more than an inch or so. Asheville’s in the mountains, true, but it’s also in a valley and in a rain-shadow, meaning it stays warmer than the surrounding mountains and also gets less precipitation. Still may be too cold for you; certainly it’s not as warm as the Piedmont. But it’s not as cold as the rest of the mountains. ---
**Author:** ![shirts\_with\_no\_numbers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@shirts\_with\_no\_numbers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shirts_with_no_numbers)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/44 "2010-02-26T14:54:15Z")
I’m baaaaack! Looking around at jobs, what are opinions on the Winston-Salem area? There are a couple of opportunities around there, but that is probably the ONE place I haven’t asked about yet 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/45 "2010-02-26T14:59:18Z")
I lived in Winston-Salem for 4-1/2 years in the mid '90s, but it has changed a lot since then, with Wachovia shipping out and the steady decline of the tobacco industry. I visited back in November and to be honest, it felt a little like a suburb surrounding a ghost town. With Wake Forest, it’s probably not in danger of collapsing in on itself just yet, but it is probably on its way to becoming the Chapel Hill of the Triad. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/46 "2010-02-26T15:03:12Z")
WS/Greensboro is more blue collar than Charlotte or RTP areas. It’s growing but not as fast as Charlotte or RTP areas. Their Dell plant just closed but FedEx has a new big hub there. ---
**Author:** ![shirts\_with\_no\_numbers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@shirts\_with\_no\_numbers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shirts_with_no_numbers)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/47 "2010-02-26T15:12:54Z")
Thanks. Not hugely interested in the area, but it was making some resurgence then we would consider. Doesn’t sound like it! Still leaning more towards the usuals - Charlotte, Raleigh or Asheville…possibly a coastal community just because we LOVE the water, but that would be a far shot. You all have been greatly helpful! ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/48 "2010-02-26T15:49:55Z")
One other thing to recommend about Charlotte, if you are into amusement parks, is [Carowinds](http://www.carowinds.com/). It’s not exactly Disney World or Six Flags, but it’s pretty good and right outside the city limits. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/49 "2010-02-26T17:20:30Z")
Carowinds is nice , it’s similar to Busch Gardens. Raleigh to the beach is 2 hours, 1.5 if you drive fast and traffic is light. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/50 "2010-02-26T17:43:13Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Carowinds is nice , it’s similar to Busch Gardens. > > Raleigh to the beach is 2 hours, 1.5 if you drive fast and traffic is light. Someone took me to a gourmet food store (I think it was in Chapel Hill.) It was huge and chock full of amazing things. Any idea what I’m talking about? I might have chosen the triangle area just for that had I know about it at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/51 "2010-02-26T17:52:08Z")
That food store was probably Southern Season or Fosters [http://www.southernseason.com/](http://www.southernseason.com/) [http://www.fostersmarket.com/](http://www.fostersmarket.com/) ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/52 "2010-02-26T17:58:30Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I’d also recommend looking at Carrboro, a sleepy little town that adjoins Chapel Hill, with a similar culture. Its proximity to RTP and to several major hospitals (UNC Memorial, Duke, and the big one in Raleigh) may make your husband’s job search easier, and I think that jobs are easier in general to find in that area. If I were to move anywhere else in NC, it would be Carrboro. I live in Carrboro; I moved from Pennsylvania just over six months ago to start grad school at UNC. I haven’t spent much time downtown or anything because I’m so busy with school, and I don’t have a car, so it’s hard for me to do things in the evenings. There’s a free bus system that covers Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and it’s great for me during the day, but I can’t get anywhere near my apartment past 9 PM or so, so I just never go anywhere. But I do like living here. Like the OP, I was concerned about moving to The South because I’m a liberal, but Carrboro is full of liberals. I’m a Christian, but I haven’t been going to church because the buses don’t run on Sundays, and no one’s ever bothered me about it. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/53 "2010-02-26T17:59:28Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > That food store was probably Southern Season or Fosters > > [http://www.southernseason.com/](http://www.southernseason.com/) > [http://www.fostersmarket.com/](http://www.fostersmarket.com/) Yes, it was Southern Season. Awesome place. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/54 "2010-02-26T18:12:39Z")
Got a Christmas basket from A Southern Season one year. It’s truly great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/55 "2010-02-26T18:23:22Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Got a Christmas basket from A Southern Season one year. It’s truly great stuff. One of these days I’ll take a road trip and a large cooler up there. The prepared food and deli/cheese selection is much better than anything I’ve found here. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827/56 "2010-02-26T18:56:17Z")
Southern Season sells via their website but I guess that doesn’t work for stuff like meat and cheese if you are not within 1 days shipping. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-asheville-nc/529827.md?page=2)