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 and the people that live here are blessed with the mild climate, beautiful scenery, low crime, low unemployment, having a diverse culture, no wonder we are rated high on every ones list. It's the ideal mountain getaway, beat the heat, beat the congestion, come to this fine area for a breath of fresh air. From the beautiful mountains to the playground of the city you will find this a vibrant city full of fun and character. Great place to escape, relax and enjoy life to it’s fullest. If you like the city you will like the art scene it 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 the streets come alive at night. The music scene is so diverse from jazz, blue grass, classical to opera. Downtown is filled with coffee shops, great boutiques, galleries, fine cuisine and friendly people. Every year we NC holds one of the largest street festivals in the southeast called Bele Chere, it attracts thousands of people from every direction. Enjoy the outdoor adventures our City 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 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.
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.
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.
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 can reach over 90 degrees but usually not lasting for more than a few days or week.
Mild winter, major snow storms are rare, normally we get multiple snow flurries in winter averagingan 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 blizzard in 1993 that dumped two/three feet of snow in 24 hours.
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
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, City Schools, Ingles Markets, Henderson County Public Schools, Haywood County Public Schools, Haywood medical Center, Wilson Art International, Henderson County.
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.
Regional Airport is located about 15 miles south of downtown on I-26. Regional airport is serviced daily by major carriers it supports both commuter and jet airlines. Services are provided for corporate and private aircraft. Our airport is the largest airport in western North Carolina with almost50 flights in and out daily. Contact the airportat 828-684-226 or see regional airport online atwww.flyavl.com. The 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 our Regional Airport.
Rankings
Forbes ranked 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 one of the top 12 travel destinations in the world, 2007 Healthgrades.com ranked Mission Hospital among the top 50 hospitals in America. Southern Accents ranked first in the favorite mountain getaway category, 2006 Kiplinger's Personal Finance - ranked number 7 one of the 50 smart cities, 2006 Outside Magazine voted the best southern town, 2007 American Style Magazine readers voted number 2 of the Top 25 Art Destinations, 2006 Pinnacle Living Magazine rated one of the top 25 towns in the Southern mountains, 2005 RelocateAmerica.com voted number 9 in America’s top 100 Places to live, 2005 Money Advisor - 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
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 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 every year.
In 1888 George Vanderbilt visited Asheville, at that time George was one of the wealthiest men in America, soon after his visit 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 started to boom and started full construction of downtown and the Buncombe County Courthouse.
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. It now attracts over five million visitors a year compared to the 1920 boom of 35,000. Population is now approximately 70,000 and the entire MSD area of 300,000. Known for its mild weather, beautiful scenery, mounteanous topography, vibrant fall colors, views and it’s arts and crafts atmosphere.
Education - Parents moving to the 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 the City 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 (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 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.
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.
