Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, and is its county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 68,889. It is the largest city in western North Carolina, and continues to grow - as of 2004, the Census Bureau estimates that Asheville's population is 70,400.^*

Attractive to hip and creative young people as well as to hip and creative retirees, Asheville has been listed in both Rolling Stone and Modern Maturity as an ideal place to live or visit. The open and accepting character of the city is evidenced by the many lifestyles and beliefs that coexist peacefully there. The art scene is especially active, and Asheville has become a mecca for potters, painters and musicians, with much of the current creativity inspired by the folk art and old ballads of early Scottish, English and Scots-Irish settlers.

Asheville is home to University of North Carolina at Asheville, or UNCA, a liberal arts college in North Asheville of about 3500 students and part of the University of North Carolina System. Asheville is also home to Warren Wilson College, located in the community of Swannanoa about 4 miles east of the Asheville city limits. Mars Hill College, a four-year liberal-arts college affiliated with the North Carolina Baptist Convention, is located about 15 miles north of Asheville. It is the oldest college in western North Carolina. Montreat College, a four-year liberal-arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is located 15 miles east of Asheville. Asheville is also home to the Asheville Tourists baseball team.

History

Asheville, originally named Morristown, was incorporated on Jan. 27, 1798. The city was renamed in honor of North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe. Due to the terrain, the city was not built upon an organized plan of city squares, markets and parks as it looks today, but almost carved out of the surrounding mountains. Originally, Asheville had closer relations to Tennessee than its registered state, North Carolina. This was because there was no road connecting it to the rest of the state. Asheville was isolated from the outside world until late 1880, with the opening of railroads.

Asheville has adopted at least two nicknames over its history:

The Land of the Sky, based on a book of the same name written by Frances Fisher Tieran (nom de plume Christian Reid).
The Paris of the South (also used by New Orleans, Louisiana and Charleston, South Carolina).

General information

The city is known for the lavish Biltmore Estate, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Other notable architecture in Asheville includes its art deco city hall and other unique buildings in the downtown area. The Montford neighborhood and other central areas are considered historic districts and include many Victorian houses. Asheville and the surrounding mountains are also extremely popular in the autumn when fall foliage peaks in October. The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway runs through the Asheville area and the grounds of Biltmore Estate. Biltmore Village is a section of the city adjacent to the estate, where workers stayed during its construction. It is currently home to many small trendy shops. In the year 1900, author Thomas Wolfe was born in Asheville. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald lived and worked in Asheville during some of his literary career. His wife, Zelda, died in a fire in an Asheville sanitarium in 1948. In 1933, actress Eileen Fulton was born in Asheville. In 1939, singer Roberta Flack was born in the city. In 1978, the acclaimed film Being There, which starred Peter Sellers and was directed by Hal Ashby, was filmed in Asheville.

In 2005 alleged bomber Eric Robert Rudolph was transported to Asheville from Murphy, North Carolina for arraignment in federal court. In September 2004, major flooding was reported in town, particularly at Biltmore Village, due to rains from the remnants of Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Ivan.

The Asheville Citizen-Times is Asheville's daily newspaper which covers most of Western North Carolina. The Mountain Xpress is Asheville's award-winning alternative newsweekly, which covers arts and politics in the region.

Asheville is served by Asheville Regional Airport in nearby Fletcher, North Carolina, and by Interstate 40, Interstate 240, and Interstate 26. A milestone was achieved in 2003 when Interstate 26 was extended from Mars Hill (north of Asheville) to Johnson City, Tennessee completing a 20-year half-billion dollar construction project through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Geography

Asheville is located at the confluence of the Swannanoa River and the French Broad River. The French Broad continues northwest through the Appalachian Mountains to Knoxville, Tennessee. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville's weather resembles the weather of the rest of the southeastern U.S., but with somewhat cooler temperatures due to the higher altitude. In winter, temperatures may fall into the teens (Fahrenheit), and Asheville almost always receives snow and freezing rain a few times each year.

Asheville is located at (35.579862, -82.555810). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 107.0 km² (41.3 mi²). 106.0 km² (40.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.94% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 68,889 people, 30,690 households, and 16,726 families residing in the city. The population density was 650.0/km² (1,683.4/mi²). There were 33,567 housing units at an average density of 316.7/km² (820.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.95% White, 17.61% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.53% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.76% of the population.

There were 30,690 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,772, and the median income for a family was $44,029. Males had a median income of $30,463 versus $23,488 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,024. About 10.3% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Several ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Asheville in honor of this town.

Education

Asheville and its surrounding area is home to several institutions of higher education.

Public schools

Asheville has several public schools. The Asheville City Schools district includes Asheville High School, Asheville Middle School, and several elementary schools. Asheville High has been ranked by Newsweek Magazine as one of the top 100 high schools in the United States. The Buncombe County School system, which includes high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools both inside and outside the city of Asheville, includes six additional high schools: A.C. Reynolds, C.D. Owen, C.A. Erwin, Enka, North Buncombe and T.C. Roberson. Each high school has, as feeder schools, a middle school and several elementary schools. AC Reynolds High School has two feeder middle schools (Cane Creek Middle School and A.C. Reynolds Middle School), as does T. C. Roberson (Cane Creek Middle School and Valley Springs Middle School). The school year usually begins in mid-August, and typically ends in late May or early June.

Asheville is also home to several charter schools, including Francine Delany New School for Children, one of the first Charter schools in North Carolina.

Music

The Asheville area is a regional hotspot for live music, and includes a number of notable performers, venues and studios. Various styles of music are common to the area, including bluegrass/old-time, singer/songwriter, goth-metal, indie rock, hip-hop, trance, jazz, folk, classical, and traditional acoustic. A fusion of these sounds is one characteristic of the local music scene, perhaps caused by a deeply intertwined musical community.

Likewise, Asheville has an abundance of so-called "novelty" acts, which tend to be as much theatrical as musical. Open jam sessions, particularly of bluegrass and old-time music, are commonplace. Of course, it would all be meaningless without some place to perform.

Clubs and performance spaces include The Orange Peel, Stella Blue, Emerald Lounge, Broadways, Barley's, The Grey Eagle, Tressa's, Westville Pub, Bobo Gallery, Joli Rouge, Fred's Speakeasy and Gourmet Perks, but many other locations also serve as part-time venues. There are also a number of outdoor festivals, such as Bele Chere and the Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival, which prominately feature local music.

Another significant element is the thriving street musician population, and the common sight of busking performers playing for tips on clement nights. On Friday nights in Summer, Pritchard Park becomes a space where people bring african drums, wood blocks, cow bells and other noise makers and have a drum circle that runs until 10. The gathering draws such a wide range of people who play or dance that passers by stop to watch as much as to listen. The circle often will swell to 30-50 players with 3 times that many dancing in front of it.

With such a music-friendly atmosphere, it's not surprising that the town also has a wealth of notable local performers.

Local bands and performers include:

DJ music, as well as a small, but active, dance community are also components of the downtown musicial landscape. The town is also home to the Asheville Symphony and the Asheville Lyric Opera. National acts such as Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule also hail from Asheville.

Film & TV

Although the area has had a long history with the entertainment industry, recent developments are cementing Asheville as a potential growth area for both film and TV. The Asheville Film Festival is now in its third year, and in 2005 the city also participated in the 48 Hour Film Festival program, which is currently slated to become an annual event. The city's new public access cable station, URTV will begin airing programs in the spring of 2006. Notable films made (at least partially) in the area include: Searching for Angela Shelton(site), Last of the Mohicans, Being There, My Fellow Americans, The Fugitive, All The Real Girls, Richie Rich, Conquest of Canaan, Hannibal, Songcatcher, Patch Adams, The Journey of August King, Nell, Forrest Gump, Mr. Destiny, Winter People, Dirty Dancing, Bull Durham, The Private Eyes, The Swan, The Clearing, and 28 Days. Locally produced films include: The Devil's Courthouse, Inbred Rednecks, The Nudger, Ether, Brother Cellophane and For Catherine, as well as a number of forthcoming projects such as Moon Europa, Golden Blade III: Return of the Monkey's Uncle and Asheville, The Movie. Local film-production groups include: A Viewpoint Productions, Blue Ridge Motion Pictures, Ironwood Media Group, B-Clips, Tabula Rasa and Buried Pictures.