Asheville Lifestyles

There’s a bumpersticker that sums up the variety of  lifestyles in Asheville: “If you’re too weird for Asheville, then you’re TOO weird.” And if you spend a weekend night downtown taking in the sights and sounds of Asheville, you would probably agree. But that weirdness is only part of the story.

The beauty of Asheville is that it really does offer something for just about everyone. There’s a feeling among many of those who have relocated here that you don’t choose Asheville, it chooses you. Many transplants share stories of how they came to Asheville and somehow just never left. Many visited here in their youth and, when it came time to choose where they wanted most to live…it was the mountains here in Western North Carolina.

Having several colleges in the area and a university almost downtown helps keep Asheville feeling and acting “young.”  Yet, over the past decade or so, Asheville has become an increasingly sought-after retirement destination. It’s the ease with which various age groups ebb and flow that seems to add to the “unique feel” of living in the mountains, and that prompted both Rolling Stone magazine & Modern Maturity to recommend Asheville as a place to live & visit.

Vibrant Downtown Asheville

Many judge a city’s strength and value by its downtown. Less than 15 years ago Asheville was barely hanging on, with many stores boarded up, and Asheville even had its own red-light district. But those days are gone. It seems as soon as one business closes up, there’s another one waiting to take its place. Street after street are filled with independent stores and restaurants, and on any given weekend you’ll see package-toting shoppers smiling and enjoying the music that seems to flow from every corner.

Asheville offers a wide range of diversity. Whether it’s cultural, spiritual, or lifestyle diversity you may be seeking, chances are you’ll find it here. Accepting the differences in beliefs and lifestyles seems to allow for a peaceful coexistence between locals and transplants in this place that was founded by early Scottish, English and Scots-Irish settlers. Year-round live theater, music venues that most cities would envy and thriving art communities provide not only entertainment but an excellent source of educational opportunities for all ages, such as Roots + Wings, Swannanoa Gathering and APAA.

Want to learn more about Asheville? Come for a visit, you may just find yourself staying for a lifetime!