Upscale Community Living
Mountains - North Carolina
Area Info
One of the most popular retirement destinations in the United States today was once the part of the nation that nobody wanted. The Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina—the Blue Ridge, Great Smokies, and Black Mountain ranges—were the county's original high frontier, a forbidding barrier to westward expansion and a sparsely-settled and impoverished region. But that began to change after the midpoint of the 20th century, when highways, leisure time, and disposable income brought visitors to the high country in droves. Many fell in love and stayed...while others vowed to come back.
Whereas Florida's original attraction was its warm, sunny winter weather, the Appalachians offer the opposite: they're cooler in summer by about 15 degrees over the surrounding lowlands. Add in the fact that in winter they're a prime destination for skiers, and the recreational possibilities in the area rival those of any other area in the country. The cultural attractions have recently caught up as well, led by the city of Asheville, which offers a sophisticated arts and restaurant scene as well as serving as the center of traditional mountain culture—bluegrass music, clog dancing, and the unique crafts that thrived in the area's long isolation.
Asheville is also home to the Biltmore Estate, built by George Washington Vanderbilt in 1895. It remains to this day the largest private home ever built in America...and is still owned by Vanderbilt's descendants. Now, however, it is open to the public, and tours of the house and grounds are among the most popular attractions of the area.
Articles
Lifestyle Information from Asheville and Western North Carolina
Susan Reinhardt: Transylvania County teen survives 2 cancers, 2 heart transplants
Mar 21, 2010 5:49 pm
Cindy and Duane Mullet are the parents of four and one on the way.
Larchmont group rallies against Merrimon Avenue affordable housing project
Mar 21, 2010 5:08 pm
ASHEVILLE -- About 60 North Asheville residents came together Saturday morning on the site of a proposed apartment complex off Merrimon Avenue to rally in opposition to a zoning change that would allo...
Mar 21, 2010 4:15 am
If nothing interests you at the multiplex, consider the following unique film viewing opportunities coming up in Western North Carolina.
Asheville poet Glenis Redmond remembers Great Katie's grace and life
Mar 21, 2010 4:15 am
"The bitter: she's gone.The sweet: she lasted so long."
WNC Easter egg hunts begin Saturday
Mar 21, 2010 4:15 am
ASHEVILLE -- Easter egg hunting season begins in earnest Saturday with two major events in Asheville. Other hunts and festivities continue into Easter weekend.
9th Annual Egg Hunt at the Zeugner Center
Mar 21, 2010 4:15 am
ASHEVILLE -- The Annual Egg Hunt and Swim at the Zeugner Center will begin at 2 p.m. March 27. Get ready for a hoppin' good time on March 27 at the Zeugner Center.
Flat Rock debuts Broadway-style show
Mar 21, 2010 4:15 am
FLAT ROCK -- Through its 58-year history, Flat Rock Playhouse has seen more than a few changes, evolving from a small company playing under a tent into a nationally known professional theater.
WCU literary festival highlights novelist's mesmerizing disaster tale
Mar 21, 2010 4:15 am
'Everything will be all right," thought author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni as Hurricane Ike pummeled her family to the edge of death in Houston in 2008.
'Goldilocks' has never looked so good
Mar 21, 2010 4:15 am
With her talents for intricately detailed illustrations and graceful, simple narratives, veteran children's author Ruth Sanderson imbues the old story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" wit...
Stop and smell the roses? No, thanks -- that's too dangerous
Mar 21, 2010 4:15 am
Beware the first blooms of spring. I have found them to be dangerous on at least one occasion.
