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Don't Move to Asheville
A Ruthlessly Honest Guide That Will Ruin Everywhere Else
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A Ruthlessly Honest Guide That Will Ruin Everywhere Else
Notify me when it's out ↓The Book
You've been warned. Asheville, North Carolina is a mid-size mountain city with a James Beard-recognized food scene, more breweries per capita than almost anywhere in America, a river older than the Himalayas, and an arts culture that has no business existing this far from a coast.
It will ruin other cities for you. Permanently. The food will be too interesting, the mountains too close, the neighbors too creative, and the beer too good. You will find yourself standing in a parking garage in Cleveland wondering why it doesn't have a rooftop bar with a view of six mountain ranges.
This guide tells you everything wrong with Asheville. Which, as it turns out, is mostly everything right.
Nine Warnings
Chapter 1
James Beard. Michelin. Chai Pani. Curate. Highland Brewing. You'll never be satisfied with a chain restaurant again.
Chapter 2
One regional airport, a mountain-flanked interstate, and a bus system that's actually trying. Getting here is the hard part.
Chapter 3
The housing market has opinions. So does the wage gap. Remote workers changed the math. You'll need to know the numbers.
Chapter 4
The Blue Ridge Parkway. The Appalachian Trail. Waterfalls you can walk to. And bears who have absolutely no respect for your trash cans.
Chapter 5
Four distinct seasons, a river older than the Appalachians, and the occasional hurricane that rewrites the map. Asheville keeps you on your toes.
Chapter 6
Hospital drama, retirement communities with views, and a VA that serves veterans well. The healthcare picture is complicated, as it always is.
Chapter 7
Boutique hotels are multiplying. The skyline is changing. Downtown is not the sleepy arts district it once was, and some people are not thrilled about it.
Chapter 8
Black Mountain College. Bob Moog. The Orange Peel. River Arts District. Malaprop's. The creative identity of this city runs very, very deep.
Chapter 9
Growth, recovery, housing bonds, and a minor league baseball team. Asheville is figuring out what it wants to be when it grows up. So is everyone else.
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