- Asheville was voted 2 of America’s top 25 Art Destinations by American Style
- One of the top 5 places to retire by Money Advisor
- 8 of 10 best places to live by MSN/Sperlings
- 1 of 10 Great Adventure Towns by National Geographic Adventure magazine.
Quality of life is good in Asheville
Quality of life is good in Asheville (see Asheville streaming video above) and the people that live here are blessed with the mild climate, beautiful scenery, low crime, low unemployment, having a diverse culture, no wonder Asheville is rated high on every ones list.
Asheville North Carolina is the ideal mountain getaway, beat the heat, beat the congestion, come to Asheville for a breath of fresh air. From the beautiful mountains to the playground of the city you will find Asheville a vibrant city full of fun and character. Asheville is a place to escape, relax and enjoy life to it’s fullest. If you like the city Asheville’s art scene is alive and buzzing with hundreds of artists performing their magic.
Restaurants, night clubs, outdoor concerts and a few jazz street musicians strolling the streets makes Asheville come alive at night. Asheville’s music scene is so diverse from jazz, blue grass, classical to opera. Asheville downtown is filled with coffee shops, great boutiques, galleries, fine cuisine and friendly people.
Quality of life is good in Asheville (see Asheville streaming video above) and the people that live here are blessed with the mild climate, beautiful scenery, low crime, low unemployment, having a diverse culture, no wonder Asheville is rated high on every ones list.
Asheville North Carolina is the ideal mountain getaway, beat the heat, beat the congestion, come to Asheville for a breath of fresh air. From the beautiful mountains to the playground of the city you will find Asheville a vibrant city full of fun and character. Asheville is a place to escape, relax and enjoy life to it’s fullest. If you like the city Asheville’s art scene is alive and buzzing with hundreds of artists performing their magic.
Restaurants, night clubs, outdoor concerts and a few jazz street musicians strolling the streets makes Asheville come alive at night. Asheville’s music scene is so diverse from jazz, blue grass, classical to opera. Asheville downtown is filled with coffee shops, great boutiques, galleries, fine cuisine and friendly people.
Every year Asheville NC holds one of the largest street festivals in the southeast called Bele Chere, it attracts thousands of people from every direction. Asheville is truly an arts and crafts town with a vibrant atmosphere.
Enjoy the outdoor adventures Asheville has to offer, hiking, site seeing up the parkway, skiing is a half hour away, rafting on the French broad river, mountain biking and the list goes on. OR go downtown and eat, drink, listen to jazz and spend your money at the shops. Which ever way you’re leaning I’m sure you will be happy.
Asheville is home to the Biltmore House, since 1895 this Asheville, NC landmark has been the home of George Vanderbilt's treasures. The Biltmore Gardens, together with the Biltmore House mansion, make up the estate designed in the spirit of the great houses of the Gilded Age. Filled with art collected by Vanderbilt during his travels around the world, the 250 room mansion took over six years and 1,000 men to complete.
Asheville's Climate - Go to weather report • Asheville's climate pdf
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Asheville North Carolina has a true four seasons yet a mild year-round climate with an annual average rainfall of 47.07 inches and an average annual snowfall of 13.3 inches. In fall Leaf-Lookers come from miles around to see the color that adorns the mountains. The change in leaf color spreads throughout the mountains like a wild fire, bringing vibrant multiple colors of yellow, orange, blue, red , burgundy, purple and on and on and on. If you have not seen Asheville in Fall/Autumn you might want to take a drive and especially along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Asheville in spring is equally exhilarating- dogwood, rhododendrons and hundreds of other flowering plants and trees come to life with brilliant flowering colors bringing new life to the landscape after the mild but cold and grey of winter.
Asheville also has a mild summer with afternoon thunderstorms to cool everything off, green everything up and then the son pops out again to further brighten up the day. Temperatures in Asheville can reach over 90 degrees but usually not lasting for more than a few days or week.
Asheville has a pretty mild winter, major snow storms are rare in Asheville, Asheville normally gets multiple snow flurries in winter averaging an inch or two or three at a time and normally melts off in a day or two. There are always exceptions of course such as Asheville’s blizzard in 1993 that dumped two/three feet of snow in 24 hours.
Asheville’s low and high average temperatures:
Jan 25-47 April 44-67 July 64-84 Oct 45-68
Feb 29-50 May 52-74 Aug 62-83 Nov 37-58
March 36-58 June 60-81 Sept 56-77 Dec 30-50
Asheville Major Employers Major Employers pdf
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Asheville North Carolina Major Employers - The Biltmore Company, Mission Hospitals, Buncombe County Public Schools, The Grove Park Inn, Sonopress, GE Lighting, AB Tech, Wal-Mart, MB Haynes Corp, Borg Warner Turbo systems, Client Logic, Advantage Home and Community Care, Owen Blankets, Thermo Electron, APAC, UNCA, Arvin Meritor Automotive, Care Partners, City of Asheville, Buncombe County, Blue Ridge Paper, VA Medical Center, Pardee Hospital, Park Ridge Hospital, Asheville City Schools, Ingles Markets, Henderson County Public Schools, Haywood County Public Schools, Haywood Medical Center, Wilson Art International, Henderson County.
Asheville Airport - Go to Asheville Airport •
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Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina (NC). Served by the commercial carriers Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways, travelers can fly anywhere to and from the Asheville, NC Regional Airport.
Asheville Regional Airport, located in Asheville North Carolina - Asheville's airport is located about 15 miles south of downtown Asheville on I-26. Asheville regional airport is serviced daily by major carriers it supports both commuter and jet airlines. Services are provided for corporate and private aircraft. Asheville airport is the largest airport in western North Carolina with almost 50 flights in and out daily. Contact Asheville airport at 828-684-226 or see Asheville regional airport online at www.flyavl.com. The Asheville Regional Airport is committed to providing a safe, efficient, and pleasant travel experience at a very competitive cost to its patrons. Served by the commercial carriers Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways, travelers can reach any destination in the world from the Asheville Regional Airport.
Asheville Rankings Asheville rankings pdf • Forbes ranking for Asheville pdf • Asheville ranked #1 • Asheville in global spotlight
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Forbes ranked Asheville number 23 for best places for business and careers, 2007
Relocate-America, voted number 1 of the top 100 places to live in 2007
Frommer's named Asheville one of the top 12 travel destinations in the world, 2007
Healthgrades.com ranked Asheville's Mission Hospital among the top 50 hospitals in America, 2007
Southern Accents ranked Asheville first in the favorite mountain getaway category, 2006
Kiplinger's Personal Finance - ranked Asheville number 7 one of the 50 smart cities, 2006
Outside Magazine voted Asheville the best southern town, 2007
American Style Magazine readers voted Asheville number 2 of the Top 25 Art Destinations, 2006.
Pinnacle Living Magazine rated Asheville one of the top 25 towns in the Southern mountains, 2005
RelocateAmerica.com voted Asheville number 9 in America’s top 100 Places to live, 2005
Money Advisor - Asheville was voted one of the five best places to retire
Men's Journal - 11 of 50 best places to live
Farmers Insurance Group - 19 of the top 25 most secure places to live
American Style - 8 of America's top 25 small town arts destinations
MSN, Sperling's - 8 of 10 of the best places to live
Forbes - 31 of 168 small metros, of best places for business
American Style - one of America's top 25 arts destinations
National Geographic Magazine - 1 of 10 great adventure towns
USA TODAY - 1 of 5 special cities
Parents Magazine - one of the top family getaways
AARP Magazine - top 15 dream towns
MSN - one of the best places to retire
MSN Money - top 10 towns for a second home investment
Outside Magazine - best college towns with Warren Wilson College at #4
USA TODAY - one of the top and safe getaways
American Style - 18 of America's top 25 arts destinations
Asheville History
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Asheville North Carolina was a small one horse town when it was founded in 1792 by real estate broker and town planner John Burton. In 1797 Asheville was incorporated and named after NC governor Samuel Ashe. In 1840 Asheville's population was only around 500-1000 until the construction of the railroad in 1880. Once the railroad was constructed the town started to grow and grow it did, by 1886 there were an estimated 35,000 people visiting Asheville every year.
In 1888 George Vanderbilt visited Asheville, at that time George was one of the wealthiest men in America, soon after his visit to Asheville he fell in love and purchased 125,000 acres of land and then decided to build his grand estate consisting of a 250 room French Renaissance chateau with 34 bedrooms, 65 fireplaces and 43 bathrooms. It took 1000 workers six years to build it and the railway had to be extended to carry material closer to the site. You can now tour this magnificent home called the "Biltmore Estate". After his death, 87,000 acres were sold to the U.S. forest service which now makes up the majority of Pisgah National Forest. In 1920 Asheville started to boom and started full construction of downtown Asheville and the Buncombe County Courthouse.
Asheville is now the largest city in Western North Carolina and is a flourishing and vibrant city that attracts visitors from all over the country, called “Paris Of The South” by many. Asheville now attracts over five million visitors a year compared to the 1920 boom of 35,000. Asheville’s population is now approximately 70,000 and the entire MSD area of 300,000. Asheville is known for its mild weather, beautiful scenery, mounteanous topography, vibrant fall colors, views and it’s arts and crafts atmosphere.
Asheville Education - Go to schools • SAT scores
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Asheville Education - Parents moving to the Asheville area will be encouraged by the focus on quality education. Teacher salaries are above average here, as are median scores achieved by students on nationally recognized tests. The city system has 4,400 students in six elementary schools, one middle school, one high school and one learning center. The city Preschool Program serves approximately 350 students from ages birth to four. Both systems are fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the State of North Carolina.
Buncombe county is the eighth largest school system in the state. Buncombe County's average daily membership is approximately 25,175 students in: 23 elementary schools, 1 intermediate school, 7 middle schools, 6 high schools, 1 middle college (located on AB-Tech campus), 4 special schools/programs 1 for students with mental and physical handicaps, 1 for specialized academic and vocational needs, and 2 for students who need an alternative school setting. Buncombe County's student population is: 84.03% White Anglo 5.90% African-American 5.27% Hispanic .98% Asian .48% Native American 3.30% Other. Buncombe County school's staff of nearly 3,600 full-time employees includes: over 1,800 certified and 1,760 classified employees. Over 39% of Buncombe County's teachers have earned graduate degrees.
To get children started in public schools serving Asheville or Buncombe County, parents must first call or visit the neighborhood school. To register a student entering school for the first time, parents need the birth certificate, immunization record, previous report card and medical release from the county Health Department or a personal physician. A social security number is preferred but not required.
To confirm which system (city or county) manages the neighborhood school, call 255-5064 (Asheville City Schools) or 252-3687 (Buncombe County Schools). Transfers within and between the systems may be allowed for special circumstances, but processing and transfer fees are usually required. Each system offers advanced placement courses, honors programs and classes for the academically gifted.
The Career Education Center, in the county system, is an extension of the high school curriculum, offering classes not available in all six of the "home" schools. Cosmetology, electronics, graphic communications, masonry and welding are courses currently offered. The city operates the Accelerated Learning Center for middle grade students where a low pupil/teacher ratio (10/1), and emphasis on parent involvement encourages students to reach their maximum academic potential.
A five member Asheville City Board of Education is appointed by City Council for City schools. A seven member Buncombe County Board of Education directs the county system with six members elected to represent districts and the seventh elected at large.
Asheville Demographics
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| U.S. Census Bureau | Asheville | Buncombe County | North Carolina |
| Population, 2009 estimate | 72,789 | 231,452 | 9,380,884 |
| Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 | 2.3% | 12.2% | 16.6% |
| Population estimates base (April 1) 2000 | 68,889 | 206,270 | 8,046,406 |
| Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2009 | 5.4% | 6.1% | 7.1% |
| Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2009 | 19.6% | 20.8% | 24.3% |
| Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2009 | 18.3% | 15.9% | 12.7% |
| Female persons, percent, 2009 | 53.2% | 52.0% | 51.1% |
| White persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 78.0% | 90.0% | 73.7% |
| Black persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 17.6% | 7.1% | 21.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| Asian persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.9% | 1.1% | 2.0% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2009 | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.3% |
| Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2009 (b) | 3.8% | 4.6% | 7.7% |
| Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over | 47.6% | 53.0% | 53.0% |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2000 | 5.2% | 3.9% | 5.3% |
| Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000 | 8.2% | 5.9% | 8.0% |
| High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 | 82.3% | 81.90% | 78.10% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 | 30.4% | 25.30% | 22.50% |
Streaming Videos of Asheville - Go to video library
