083 - Asheville, NC: Backwoods Boom or Blue Ridge Bust?

Asheville, North Carolina has developed a reputation over the past decade as a hip, artsy mountain town with great microbreweries, food, and outdoor recreation. But does the reality match the hype? We recently visited Asheville to explore different neighborhoods and experience what daily life might be like there. Here’s what we discovered, the good and the not-so-good:

Natural Beauty

There’s no question that Asheville benefits tremendously from its natural surroundings in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Everywhere you look there are gorgeous views of forested hillsides and charming houses tucked amongst the trees. The famous Biltmore Estate exemplifies grand mountain living, with acres of perfectly manicured lawns and gardens with the backdrop of the mountains in the distance. Even just a short drive outside of downtown leads you into the countryside with plenty of scenic hiking trails, rivers, and outdoor adventure activities beckoning.

Exploding Real Estate Costs

Perhaps not surprisingly, all those nature lovers have driven real estate prices through the roof in Asheville. People have caught on to how special this area is and want their own little slice of paradise. Home prices in desirable neighborhoods have more than doubled in the past decade. It’s also become a hot spot for vacation homes and Airbnbs, putting further strain on housing costs for local residents and driving more gentrification. Finding an affordable property seems virtually impossible.

Thriving Local Food, Art & Brewery Scene

If you can swing the cost of living, Asheville does offer fantastic locally-owned restaurants, more than 50 breweries churning out craft beer, tons of live music venues, and an exploding arts scene. There’s a creative spirit and funky style that attracts tourists and new residents alike. You’ll find everything from yummy food trucks serving up tacos and BBQ to upscale farm-to-table restaurants in renovated warehouses, along with indie galleries, ceramics studios, and even glassblowing workshops dotted throughout downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

Concerns about Homelessness & Crime

However, the downtown area seems to be struggling under the weight of its own popularity. Like many cities, Asheville grapples with issues around homelessness and petty crime. Walking down the streets, you’ll frequently be asked for money or see people’s belongings stuffed into trash bags as they search for their next meal and place to sleep for the night. Break-ins of parked cars and snatched purses are also not uncommon. For a smaller city, Asheville’s rate of property crime ranked surprisingly high on national scales.

Access to Outdoor Recreation

One of Asheville’s saving graces is the ability to quickly escape into nature and leave the hustling downtown behind. Hiking and biking trails abound, catering to everyone from serious outdoor enthusiasts looking to scale mountain peaks to families who just want a pleasant stroll along the river. The famous Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail pass right by Asheville as well. Whether you prefer camping, fishing, ziplining, or even foraging for wild mushrooms, there are plenty of guiding outfits and adventure companies to help you plan the experience you’re seeking. 

Has the Hype Gone Too Far?

After our visit, we came away a bit disappointed, feeling perhaps Asheville had been overhyped. While still charming in many regards, the downtown area felt grittier than we expected, with an overwhelming transient and homeless population thatRATERS the streets. And we just can’t get past the skyrocketing cost of housing. While the surrounding natural areas clearly deserve protection, we worry the character that first made Asheville so appealing is slowly being destroyed in the process. The question remains whether city leadership can find solutions to keep this special place authentic and accessible for both long-term locals and visitors. For now, we’ll keep Asheville on our list of places to return for a long weekend, but we won’t be house hunting there anytime soon.

5. 10 Fun Facts About Asheville

- There’s a museum dedicated to pinball machines with antique and modern machines to play

- Asheville has its own gem mine where you can dig for emeralds and other stones

- Several big movies like The Hunger Games and Last of the Mohicans filmed major scenes around Asheville

- Multiple breweries offer guided beer yoga classes

- The area boasts 82 acres of botanical gardens you can explore

- Asheville celebrates the historic tradition of mountain music with frequent bluegrass and folk festivals

- An original copy of the Declaration of Independence is on display at the downtown public library

- There’s a huge underground cave beneath the Earth Fare grocery store downtown with an underground river running through it

- The city hosts one of the world’s only LEGO conventions focused solely around Lego trains

- Asheville has more doughnut shops per capita than anywhere else in North Carolina

6. 10 Facts About Asheville Real Estate, Income & Crime:

- Only 17% of homes are affordable on the median income in Asheville

- Home prices have more than doubled in the past decade, significantly outpacing wage growth

- Nearly 25% of home purchases made in Asheville are by investors rather than owner-occupants

- 83% of Asheville’s population identifies as white as of the 2020 census

- Crime overall has been rising steadily year over year, especially incidents of breaking-and-entering into parked cars

- The violent and property crime rates place Asheville far above national median averages for a city its size

- The average 1-bedroom apartment rent sits around $1,200/month in the downtown neighborhoods

- Per the mayor’s estimate, on any given night about 550 people in Asheville are without permanent housing

- Job growth continues expanding outpacing the national average in sectors like hospitality and technology

- Beer and tourism have contributed greatly to the economy, providing over 10,000 jobs to the area