At least that’s what Ohio.com says about us:
ASHEVILLE, N.C.: This mountain city of 70,000 proudly calls itself the Paris of the South.
According to some, that’s because Asheville in western North Carolina considers itself to be the cultural capital of southern Appalachia.
French artisans came to Asheville in the late 1800s to work on what became America’s biggest house, the Biltmore. The 255-room mansion on 125,000 acres was the home of George and Edith Vanderbilt.
Today the Biltmore is the No. 1 tourist destination in Asheville, where tourism is the No. 1 industry. Its minor-league baseball team is the Tourists.
Asheville — 8 hours and 15 minutes from Akron — is a different but very appealing destination. It is charming, eclectic and cosmopolitan with an edgy California vibe. Its setting in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains makes it a mecca for outdoorsy people.
It is a down-home Southern town, the largest in western Carolina. But it is diverse and interesting, a quirky, moneyed town of long-haired, free-spirited people surrounded by Baptist churches and banjoes.
Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed Asheville to be ”America’s new freak capital.” It ranks high on lists of favorite places to live or enjoy the outdoors.
When the local paper asked for help in devising a new city motto, Asheville’s gay community responded: ”Ten thousand lesbians can’t be wrong.”
Cultural cascade
Asheville is filled with galleries and funky boutiques in its very walkable, art-deco downtown that is a national historic district.
It has a lively music and cultural scene, its own symphony orchestra and lyric opera company. Drum circles and old-time bluegrass music coexist. Film and dance also thrive.
Asheville has links to authors Thomas Wolfe, F. Scott Fitzgerald and O. Henry.
It has sidewalk art and street musicians, and gourmet restaurants that feature local fare. It loves to stage festivals and to party.
1 Comment
These articles are ridiculous. "Outdoorsy" and "edgy California vibe." Give me a break. The people who read this garbage are 50 something, bland as can be, Ohions are Floridians sitting in there lazy boy recliners while cooking a bland caserole and watching TV.
The next thing you know they fall in love with trendy Asheville and have a mountaintop home in a gated community, pushing all the artists and "freaks" out of town.
I dont understand why you need a second home or why you live your whole life in one part of a country where you are from and where your roots are only to retire in a strange state far away.