Often called "The Paris of the South", the city of Asheville is the largest city in Western North Carolina. Surrounded by the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains, the city of Asheville was officially named in 1797 in honor of North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe.

In 1827, the growing community was brought closer to the rest of the world by the opening of the Bumcombe Turnpike. Tourism began to shape the Asheville community, and indeed, the arrival of the rail lines brought more and more visitors to the town. Asheville soon became the resort capital of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The remote, pristine terrain was enjoyed by and entertained industrialists, celebrities and government officials at the turn of the century. This rich history has come to shape the Asheville of today, and of the future.

But much of the charm and diversity of Western North Carolina extends beyond the city of Asheville. Surrounding towns such as Black Mountain, Weaverville, Lake Lure and Waynesville contain as much small town charm and security as can be found anywhere on the East Coast.

Surrounded by the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and the Blue Ridge Mountains and Parkway, these communities thrive with moderate climates, outstanding health care infrastructures, unique architectural designs, and the added benefit of reasonably priced housing and land.php

Our climate is not too hot, and not too cold. In other words, just right. Asheville is known for seasonal winters and warm summers. With the occassional snow fall, and the consistently warm summers, weather in Western North Carolina is both temperate and varied enough to offer four season living.

Asheville has been recongized as one of the best places to live, retire and enjoy the artistic spirit in the US. Just that our area has received in the past few years. As an area that contains nearly and aspect of living the good life that one can hope for, we hope to help you in your transition to the beautiful Asheville area and all of Western North Carolina.

The Asevhille Chamber of Commerce has put together a comprehensive collection of Relocation Facts and Figures. Each of the links below will take you to a PDF with the relevant information:

Local Population (PDF)

Education Information (PDF)

Asheville Area Rankings (PDF)