Asheville, Black Mountain, and Western NC Information

Western North Carolina cities and towns are proud of the quality of life here. We've got it all. A place to live and work that makes you feel like you're on vacation all the time. Our renowned mountain scenery and outdoor recreational opportunities start at your back door. Businesspeople will find a strong sense of entrepreneurial spirit and opportunity. Retirees come from all over to enjoy the mild, 4-season weather. Vacationers come for the relaxed atmosphere, wide variety of recreational activities, seasonal festivals, and to explore the cultural heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Residents and visitors alike revel in the energetic arts community, showcasing everything from traditional mountain crafts to modern art, glassworks, jewelry, textiles, theatre and music, and the very successful Asheville Film Festival. Below are links to other sites containing all the information you'll need to explore our community, find a place to stay while you visit, and myriad reasons why residents think this is the best place to live, bar none.

Community, Business, and Local Government Information

Asheville is a thiving city of approximately 70,000 residents. Nested in the bowl of a plateau, surrounded by mountain scenery, downtown Asheville is pedestrian-friendly and never boring. Black Mountain is is a warm and charming small town located about 15 miles east, widely known as "the front porch of western North Carolina."

	The Asheville Chamber of Commerce at www.ashevillechamber.org
	The Black Mountain Chamber of Commerce at www.exploreblackmountain.com
	The official Asheville City website, at www.ashevillenc.gov
	The official Buncombe County website at www.buncombecounty.org. Buncombe County encompasses Asheville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Weaverville, Leicester, Fairview, Arden, Skyland, Enka, Candler, Biltmore Forest and other towns.
	Asheville Board of Realtors at www.abr-nc.com

School Information

Buncombe County boasts an excellent school system, from primary through University level. The University of North Carolina at Asheville offers degrees in liberal arts, natural sciences, computer sciences, and a cutting-edge multimedia arts and sciences degree program. Asheville-Buncombe Tech provides both degree programs and continuing education courses highly geared towards educating residents of all ages for the current needs of businesses, with excellent programs in hi-tech education. Mars Hill College, founded in 1856, offers degrees in 30 majors, and is affiliated with the North Carolina Baptist Convention. Waren Wilson College, originally founded in 1894, is a liberal-arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Synod of the South. Warren Wilson offers a unique model of higher education that augments academics with community service and hands-on work experience.

	The Asheville city school system website at www.asheville.k12.nc.us/main/
	The Buncombe County school system website at www.buncombe.k12.nc.us
	The University of North Carolina at Asheville site, at www.unca.edu
	Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College site at www.asheville.cc.nc.us
	Mars Hill College site at www.mhc.edu
	Warren Wilson College at www.warren-wilson.edu

Vacation and Recreation Information

The above links will provide you with a wealth of information about why Asheville people love to play here, as well as live and work here - including golfing, whitewater rafting, hiking, biking, caving, ballooning, waterfalls, swimming and boating, fishing, hunting, skiing - well we just can't think of anything we don't have! Below are a few more specific links which might interest you.

	The Great Smoky Mountains National Park official website
	The Blue Ridge Parkway official website
	Nearby National Forests - including the Pisgah and Nantahala Forests
	The WNC Guide - a guide and directory to Western North Carolina
	The Citizen-Times - Asheville's largest newspaper
	Go Asheville - an online guide and directory to the greater Asheville area

All contents of this web site except for registered trademarks and some property photos ©Drew Ansley 2003. All rights reserved.