Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
President Obama won’t be moving to Asheville anytime soon, reports the Washington Post. Here’s the news:
President Obama can issue sweeping executive orders and deploy troops to faraway corners of the world. But it became clear Thursday that the leader of the free world sometimes takes orders from his 14-year-old daughter.
Over lunch with a small group of supporters in Milwaukee, Obama said he and his family plan to stay in Washington for a couple of years after his presidency so that Sasha, the younger of his two daughters, can finish high school.
The result is that Obama will be the first former president since Woodrow Wilson, nearly a century ago, to remain in the nation’s capital after leaving the White House.
There’s been a ton of speculation about where the Obamas would land after his presidency ended, with most of it focused on New York and Chicago. But the website Wall Street Cheat Sheet reported in June 2014 that the Obamas had purchased property in Asheville, and the story went viral. With conjecture at a fever pitch, a White House spokesman actually denied the Asheville story.
It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility – Obama said during a February 2013 visit that he was thinking about retiring to Asheville. Obama was in town to talk about economic development at Linamar.
Asheville, as we all recall, has been a popular stop for Barack and Michelle over the years. In October 2011, President Obama talked about jobs during a stop at the Asheville Regional Airport, where he kicked off a bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia.
In April 2010, the Obamas vacationed in Asheville. The couple stayed at Grove Park Inn, where Barack played golf and Michelle hit the spa. The couple dined at 12 Bones and Corner Kitchen, walked on the Mountains to Sea Trail and was rumored to be looking at houses around town at the time. (President Obama also met with the Rev. Billy Graham during that visit.)
Then-U.S. Sen. Obama first visited Asheville in October 2008 as he was campaigning for president. He held a campaign event at Asheville High School and lunched at 12 Bones.
Trust me, you do not want to live in a city with an ex-President. Any ex-President. Security disruptions last for life.
You really didn’t need to remind us what kind of person you are, AVL RCST. We already know.
Best thing to NOT happen to Asheville
Obama will move in once the new Lee Walker Heights is built.
This was never anything but a silly rumor cooked up by the local real estate industry to draw more attention to the local market. That it was embraced and perpetuated by so many local people is just further evidence of how smug and self absorbed Asheville has become.
Well, thank Gawd for that. This town isn’t big enough to handle the disruption it would bring.