[Matthew]

And being a retirement destination for wealthy northerners is the reason housing prices are so high. I think most towns in WNC have made attracting wealthy and conservative retirees their goal for growing the tax base and creating jobs, ..instead of actually building needed industrial and office parks. When I was still in Asheville (southwestern suburbs), I would wake up in the morning to hammering and trucks echoing through the valley. Drive to the top of the road and a sign reading "New Homes: 700's" would greet me. The $700,000 house is usually the smallest home and actually cost $799,000. The others were likely closer to $1 million. Employment is mostly hospitality, retail and healthcare. Years ago, it was paper and textile mills. I moved to Atlanta after graduating from college and I've found very few people from Asheville move here. The reaction to telling someone in Atlanta you're from Asheville is usually a discussion on their visit to Biltmore (hospitality industry). Often times they think I said Nashville (TN) and I have to repeat Asheville.

I love my hometown. I miss the food, friends, architecture, mountains and so many more things. I moved to Atlanta for a good job, cheap housing, the amazing skyline and the chance to live in a big city. I would love to move back someday and yes, if you love beer, Asheville is a must visit. Asheville has more breweries than Charlotte or Raleigh. Both the small and national breweries have operations in Asheville.