Waynesville, North Carolina
Slow down and savor the present. You’ll find this attitude prevalent all along the streets of downtown Waynesville, the county seat of Haywood County and largest town in WNC west of Asheville, with just about 10,000 residents. It’s a lively and friendly small town nestled in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, complete with a “Very Walkable” downtown Main Street that is chock full of independent shops, galleries, restaurants and historic buildings and lined with trees, brick sidewalks and relaxing benches. Waynesville is also home to FOLKMOOT USA, North Carolina's official international music and dance festival held annually, and HART- the regional theatre group.
Canton, Clyde, Maggie Valley and Waynesville, along with an assortment of unique mountain communities make up the total county population of Haywood County with just under 60,000 residents. Home to Cataloochee Ski area, Smokey Mountain Gem & Ruby Mine and year round events, Maggie Valley is also home to re-introduced elk, which once roamed the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in greater quantities. 
Waynesville real estate options are varied, with a wide variety of golf communities, an inviting array of log home residences and mountain top estates with jaw-dropping views that rival any you will find elsewhere. With a drop in pricing to what were formerly mostly second homes and vacation rentals, many current real estate buyers are finding that this area offers decidedly good values for year-round living.
With an abundance of local stores and national chains, a regional medical center and a local community college, this area has become, for the most part, self-sustaining--making trips into the city of Asheville a choice, not a necessity.
