Asheville - by far.

Do you live there? What little areas around there would you suggest? I need a big fenced yard for the dogs, but not much else! Or would you say right in downtown? I want to think about safety also...

I always thought I'd live there. A very good friend moved there to raise their daughter. Asheville is very safe. It's a great town. Very liberal, great music, great vibe, great restaurants, great big town/small city vibe. You could live 30 minutes away (and there are plenty of options) but I'd live right in Asheville. Nice homes (some old) with yards. There are some downtown condos/lofts, but you'll want a yard. Very safe.

Look at the signings at the downtown bookstore -
http://www.malaprops.com/

Atlanta doesn't even have this.

Look at the music available -
http://www.exploreasheville.com/what-to-do/the-arts/asheville-music-scene/live-music-calendar/index.aspx

Even Atlanta doesn't have that wide of a variety.

Performing Arts -
http://www.exploreasheville.com/what-to-do/the-arts/performances-entertainment/index.aspx

Ditto

I'd also recommend checking over at the city-data.com website, which is a great resource for these kinds of questions.

Thanks guys,

I have actually been to all of those websites! I have done a lot of research, now I feel I need personal opinions I would never consider Atlanta. ? Is that just a know place to move to? Too much traffic, too many people, and too humid...plus all the storms come up through that way. Starrs do you live in NC?

I really only want to in the Carolina's or even possibly TN. But I am not sure if I can even live that far inland, since I have always been close to the coast. I also love the heat.

Does anyone live in Charlotte or Greenville? I have heard so much good stuff about Asheville, but not as much with the other 2 (not even here, but other places).

Forgot to mention, someone said the west side of Asheville was a great family friendly place? And the North was tough b/c of the traffic from tourism. Are there neighborhoods that anyone knows of that are nicer but still affordable?

I'll repeat...Asheville - by far.

To pick a neighborhood, come down and visit. I think all of Asheville is a "great family friendly place". I have no idea what the north side/tourism traffic thing is about. Asheville is not very big. It really doesn't have a traffic problem. I wasn't recommending Atlanta for you. I was comparing how much Asheville has going for it as far as music, performing arts, etc.

There are several threads on this forum about different areas. Do a search to see what you can find and hopefully others will answer. IMO Asheville is definitely the best of the 3, especially given your preferences.

The reason I'd recommend you look closer at Charlotte or Greenville is your mention of wanting to be within 30 miles of "the big city". As great as Asheville is, it is much smaller than Charlotte or Greenville.

But only Asheville will provide you with weather significantly different from Atlanta - Charlotte and Greenville are just as humid in the summer.

Charlotte, by far the largest of the 3 is a good place to raise a family. While people do complain about the traffic, it is nothing like Atlanta. We have our issues with budget cuts (specifically regarding schools) but I'm guessing most places are experiencing the same.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Greenville. If I was looking for a medium sized city to settle down in, I'd give it a good look.

I don't think Starrs will let you move anywhere else!!
Yes, I live in Charlotte. And yes Greenville is really quite a nice town with a very fine mid-size university with all the perks that would bring. Asheville is surely getting it "clicking". You will miss snow in Charlotte and Greenville. Fenced yards are available anywhere if you look. I'd take a look at schools, taxes, other things you like besides the music scene. I would also rent in wherever you choose for 6 months, let alone visit before making a decision. There is just not much way to know what you will like, not like, want, not want.
Charlotte is a "little big city"--or maybe vice versa. A big town that still feels small and accessible. It has a lot going for it, a lot to do, a lot of opportunity. But whether it is for "you" is hard to say.

LOL, Gretchen!

I rarely comment on Charlotte or Raleigh or other NC towns/cities. I have my opinions, but can't really quantify them so I remain quiet (hard to believe, I know).

But, if THIS doesn't describe Asheville, I don't know what does

"Asheville reminding me the most of home with the mountains and the laid back people, and the summers are already similar to here. I would like to still be able to walk to things in a small town...so I'd like to be in the neighborhoods with lots of young couples (20's and 30's). Plus we have 2 dogs. But we love the outdoors-hiking-biking-swiming etc"

That is SO Asheville. It's a perfect match!

No, I don't live there but always thought I would...and maybe will one day.

I love Asheville too. But sometimes people are surprised how not cheap it is.

I agree that it's not cheap.

Small towns within 30 miles would include Hendersonville, Brevard, and Black Mountain (but I'd still pick Asheville).

And you'd be surprised at how neighborhoods in a large city do the same thing--places to walk to, laid back, lots of young people. EVEN in NYC. I do wonder long term about work, but if DH can find work anywhere, that's good. And thank heavens, Charlotte is NOT Atlanta!!
Small town close to Charlotte are Fort Mill and Rock Hill SC (take a look at the taxes), Davidson (college town) and Cornelius, and others to the north. Prime real estate, but still probably attainable.
Will you be looking for a house--oh yeah, with a yard.
Can you say "road trip"!!!! LOL

And there's always my hometown Albemarle, lolololol!

Albemarle would be good. They could get a lake house.

Asheville without a doubt, but if you want a big city I think Charlotte is great as well. Asheville still has that "personality" that so many other places have lost. Very laid back and family friendly.....really accepting of most lifestyles.

Living in CLT I'll muddy the waters some more if she wants to be w/in 30 minutes of Uptown/City life - http://belmontcommunity.net/ http://www.matthewsnc.com/ http://www.noda.org/ http://www.plazamidwood.org/ http://www.dilworthonline.org/

That being said, I too, love Asheville. But if I were moving over that way (in the Mts.) I probably go Hendersonville or Black Mt. (just me)

Hey, thanks for all the responses! I went back over the the city-data thing, but no one said anything but good things about Greenville (beside the people who just moved there-they had some negative things to say)

We would surely be renting for a while anyway! We want to hop around and that will give us the chance to explore more places.
The city data thing had negatives on Asheville as far as homeless people, too granola-e, too cold-found that strange!, prices high for fresh fruit and veggies....and crime. But all 3 had some of the same things about crime and people stuff.

I have a feeling that Ashville might be similar to Portland Maine, any one been there?

Right now we are on a 5 acre horse farm with views, it's gorgeous but we share a car, and with me home all day with the baby...not so fun...with nothing NOTHING to walk to, not even a park. There are a few towns around here, that would maybe be a long bike ride to, but still I am a little too far out for my liking. But I also don't want to be so close to my neighbor that I am looking right into their back windows.

I sort of need that mix of privacy and convenience.

Also as far as jobs, my husband's degree is in Microbiology, and he would most likely apply at the hospitals or pharm/bio tech companies. Anyone work or know about Baxter? Or Mission Hospitals? Sorry if any of this is a re-post!

We will also be traveling through all 3 before we decide

And as far as loving expenses nothing can be worse than here. 1,700 is common for a one bedroom...ha, it's crazy! Downtown you could pay 2,000-3,000 easily for a little 2-3 bedroom house, or more if you want something nice! No pets allowed anywhere. Down there I have already found tons of places for 1,000 for a little 2 bed house w/ yard.

Hi,
I just relocated to Asheville, well Candler but it's just below the SW border of Asheville and a 20 min drive to downtown, 13 mos ago. From L.A.
Everything positive that's been said about Asheville is true. I saw only one mention of weather in the responses. That's a big factor to consider. It's in the mountains with low elevations providing much more comfortable summers than Charlottesville and Greenville. However it's true that the past two winters were record breaking; this year with cold temps and a year ago with snow. But, the really were historically unusual.
We visited both Greenville and Charlottesville and while nice enough looking we were surprised at how poorly they stacked up against Asheville in atmosphere and activities not to mention interesting things to do and see in general. And Charlottesville in the summer
was unbearably hot and humid on my two summer visits when I flew in to check out Asheville.
We bought land and built a custom modular for far less than we would have paid for a resale. Candler is in Buncombe Co. but since it's outside the city of Asheville per se we don't pay city real estate taxes. A big savings.
Renting, anywhere you move, is a great idea. Friends of ours thought they wanted to live in the country and rented in Candler. After one year they moved to the east side of Asheville because the 20 min drive into the heart of town proved too inconvenient when done almost daily for their activities.

I am also thinking of moving to Asheville, well maybe Hendersonville. with a small condo in Sarasota as well (I lived there for 22 years). Except for winter, it seems beautiful, artsy and not too large. My goal is to move late 2013 or early 2014. Hoping to find a job in human resources; will have some pension money from state gov't but will still need to work. I am looking for slick, modern living where I wont' have to lift a finger. Anything like that in the area? Eastcoast girl, maybe one day we'll meet in Asheville!

Hendersonville is nice but "slick modern living" doesn't come to mind. Asheville has some great (relatively) new lofts in downtown that would match that description. A good friend bought a place in Brevard as a second home - and now spends more time up there than in the lowlands. Anything in that area would be a nice change from Sarasota. I think 1/2 of the Florida population owns property in eastern TN, north GA, western NC.

eastcoastgirl, you mention that you'd read that Asheville was very granola-y, and I would agree. This link will show you what happens downtown every Friday night:

http://www.romanticasheville.com/drumming_circle.htm

I used to live in Pennsylvania. I know about your problem with loads of snow. You could look at Delaware and have very little snow. I moved from central PA to central Oregon.
I did consider moving to one of the Carolinas but decided I love Oregon more. I live within 45 miles of Crater Lake where there is still over 100" of snow on the ground. I have quite a bit of bare ground in my back yard but it is snowing right now.

I've lived in Greenville for 3 years now and still love it...including the weather (Asheville would be too cold for me in the winter), the cost of living (less than NC), the employment base (more diversity, engineering and high-tech positions than Asheville), the downtown area (beautiful, lots of great restaurants and things to do, very accessible), the proximity to the mountains (I hike at least once a week), the friendly people (our Newcomers group is fantastic), and so much more. Before moving here we looked at Asheville and Hendersonville (among others), but not Charlotte (too big). Let me know if you have any specific questions about Greenville; I'll try to check in more regularly.

Hi! I'm late to this discussion, but if you're still following here I'll add this: Before I moved for work, I lived in Greenville (SC) for about 12 years and loved it. Over that time, Greenville really revitalized it's downtown area into a place that is extremely pedestrian friendly.

There are plenty of parks very nearby, the Peace Center attracts a full score of off-broadway shows, concerts, comedians, and other performances, as does the Bi-Lo Center. There are also many other smaller venues around town that produce original shows or host smaller acts. Greenville is only about 1 hour to 1.5 hours (depending on how you drive it) from Asheville, which makes for a great day or weekend trip, but you don't have the expense of living in Asheville.

If you choose to live in northern Greenville Co, such as Traveler's Rest or the area around Furman University, then you'll be living very near the SC/NC border and the mountains.

Greenville's schools have been getting better each year plus Greenville has higher education opportunities a-plenty with both its technical college (Greenville Tech), as well as the University Center, which houses extension campuses for several South Carolina Universities (such as USC, Clemson, SC State, etc). With Furman in the mix, there's plenty of opportunity for educational enrichment for both you and you husband, if you so choose, or your children as they grow.

If you're in to watching sports, the Greenville Drive play in a beautiful new downtown stadium that was modeled after the one in Boston, they also apparently have a new minor league hockey team (Greenville Road Warriors). [As an aside, when I lived there we had a hockey team called the Grrrowl and they were a blast to go watch. I missed them when they left town.]

Also, as a former library employee in Greenville County, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that their library system is one of the best that I've ever encountered. It's a biased opinion, to be sure, but I promise you that once you start using it, you'll be hooked.

Greenville is quite possibly the best place to live in South Carolina, and that's including Charleston. It's a little more conservative than Asheville is, but it's a welcoming place and there are lots of transplants, so no matter what your inclination socially, politically, religiously and beyond, you're sure to find a group that agrees.

It's a great place to live; heck, I'd move back if I could.

VERY late to the conversation, but I'll chime in since I live in Greenville, grew up near Asheville, and have family in Charlotte.

#3 - Charlotte: Nice airport, beautiful downtown and skyline, loads of transplants and a pretty young city. Traffic on 77/85/485 can be pretty nasty at times. Lake Norman is a good getaway area, but very crowded. Property taxes are relatively high. It's nice to visit, but I find when I visit family there we rarely venture downtown. Restaurants, bars, etc. offer nearly anything you could want.

#2 - Asheville: Blue Ridge Parkway nearby, Biltmore House, emerging brewery scene, Grove Park Inn, Bele Chere festival, walkable downtown. Good small city, with most everything you would need with shopping, farmer's market, great restaurants. Excellent hospitals with Mission and St.Joseph's. Mix of retirees and hippies, and housing is rather expensive. Airport is small, traffic isn't very bad. Like others said, the bedroom communities like Hendersonville and Black Mountain would provide easy access to downtown without paying a premium. Not a lot of industry in the area. I like Asheville a lot, but it would be difficult for my wife and myself to find good employment there in our fields.

#1 - Greenville: I'll admit my bias here for many of the reasons noted above - small town feel to downtown while the city is expanding quickly and offers more shopping alternatives than Asheville IMO. Comparable in size to Asheville although the metro area is larger. Property taxes are the lowest of the three, housing prices (like the others) are dependent on how close to downtown you want to be. Simpsonville area south of Greenville is blossoming and is around 20-25 minutes to downtown. GSP airport is mid-sized, but many flights connect through CLT. Asheville area is 1.5 hrs, Charleston is 3 hrs., and Savannah is around 4 hrs. Peace Center and Bi-Lo center attract some national acts. Falls Park and Swamp Rabbit trail are great recreational areas - there are always things going on downtown from Thurs night music, Fri night music, downtown farmer's market, baseball, Artisphere, Fall for Greenville, the Greek Festival, etc. City leaders just seem to have thought things out, and it shows with the interest from companies looking to relocate as well as individuals.

A nice little homage to Greenville -
http://gardenandgun.com/article/greenville