Asheville (and nearby areas)

[salysaturn]

DH and I are looking to relocate. His job can bring him here, and that is where I need your help. Please help me out with these questions...TIA in advance!!

What is the weather like?

He will have a job, but I still need one, so how is the job market there? I have training in medical insurance billing, and office duties, I have also done a lot of customer service stuff, and I have a degree in Criminal Justice. Also, what are commute times like?

DH is currently in school for his MBA. What local schools offer this program, what kind of money is involved?

How is the cost of living, and is the pay comporable? Here, the cost of living is crazy high(Western MD), and pay sucks, unless we want to drive 1+ and go crazy with commuting.

What are other local cities in the area. We don't want to be right smack dab in the city, we like suburban life.

I know you girls can help me out:)

[bluebunny]

Weather in Asheville is nice. Asheville is in the mountains so it tends to be slightly cooler in the summmer and get more ice/snow in the winter than areas around it. I know two people who live in Asheville but they both commute to Greenville, SC to work. Greenville is a larger city and has a more metropolitan feel than Asheville. Asheville, on the other hand, is more "artsy" than Greenville, having more of an art community and culture (film, galleries, local music).

Because I don't live in Asheville, I can't tell you first-hand what the commute times are but I know that most commutes in the area are less than 30 minutes. If you choose to commute to Greenville, it would be one hour.

The closest MBA program that I know of is at Clemson University but that's probably a two-hour drive.

The cost of living in this area is much lower than the northeast but pay tends to be lower as well. However, housing is much more affordable than the NE so that makes a huge difference.

[Taylandra]

I would be interested in knowing some more about Asheville myself-DH might be getting a job there and while I will *probably* finish up my last year of my M.Ed. here, there were some schools in Charlotte and the vicinity I had looked into a long time ago.

So, in other words....I'm keeping an eye on this!

;-)

[southerner]

When DH and I were relocating to NC, we considered Asheville as a potential place. We decided against it because real estate was more expensive in this area of NC. Not expensive compared to LA, Boston, NYC, etc., but after some coastal towns, it's one of the more expensive areas of NC. Also, they didn't have as good of a job market as other areas and fewer college options.

Asheville has mostly retired people, college students and tourists. There is a lot of different things to do (ie outdoor stuff, art galleries, eating, etc.) As for real estate, we found it was more expensive in the city, but the neighborhoods were weird. You'd find a nice 3 bedroom house (what we looked at) next to a mobile home. Their zoning laws are wacked! Then, if you wanted to go "outside" the city, there were the mountains. Hendersonville and Weaverville are not as rural as some of the other towns, but then you have to start commuting a half hour or more.

[salysaturn]

Thanks girls!!

How far of a commute is Greenville?

His commute to Baltimore is about 45 minutes, when he worked in DC, it was like 1-1.5 mainly b/c of the amt of people on the roads, not so much the distance. A two hour drive may be too far, esp if its just for a class or two during the week.

Pay wise, his will be a lateral transfer, so he will be making the same amt he does here. I can find something within the insurance industry, and possibly also do a transfer.

Here, townhomes go for 225,00(3 br, 1.5 bath, no basment), to 425,000 4 br, 3.5 bath, basement. Single Families pretty much start in the 300,000 range, but the homes are so close together.

[southerner]

Greenville, NC is out by the coast!!!

If you liove in Asheville, you're looking at similar prices for housing.

[Sandie78]

You must mean Greenville, SC. It's not too terribly far, although I wouldn't want to drive it everyday. It really depends which side of each city you are on. I am actually looking at housing prices in the G-ville area right now and you can easily get a 2500 sq ft home for $200,000.

[southerner]

oh yeah, Greenville, SC, duh! Mapquest says it's about 65 miles and should take an hour and 15 minutes.

[salysaturn]

He told me yesterday that he applied for the Columbia SC area as well, so who knows where we will end up.

Keep it coming, Thanks :)

[Sandie78]

The housing prices in Columbia will be considerably lower than Maryland. Can I be nosy and ask what line of work your husband is in?

[tbell]

I grew up in Asheville and it is a beautiful city. Since I left (1993), it's really grown up a lot and like Southerner said, the price of housing has skyrocketed. I actually lived in a small town outside Asheville (Weaverville)and when DH and I visited this summer, I couldn't believe how much the whole area had grown. One of the nice things about Asheville is that it doesn't feel like a big city and you're right in the middle of the mountains.

The commute to Greenville is not bad at all, plenty of people do it all the time. As far as an MBA program, does UNCA offer one?

If the job market there was better, I would love to move back.

[salysaturn]

The housing prices in Columbia will be considerably lower than Maryland. Can I be nosy and ask what line of work your husband is in?

It's the government...and if I tell ya....

[EmilyBronte]

We just moved to Western NC (Sylva - the boonies) and are still learning everything you've asked.

I wanted to tell you that medical professions of all types are the most highly-sought professions (according to friends of mine who've lived here a long time).

Real Estate is a bit whacky in Asheville. Try www.biltmoreforestrealty.com, or www.beverlyhanks.com for a housing search. From what I've found, these are the best websites in the area.

Good luck with everything!