The median home price is $199,000, and the cost of living is about 5% above the national average.  Of the eclectic population, 40% is age 45 or better, and residents lean to the left politically.

Tourists flock here year-round, and many come to see the French Renaissance-style chateau Biltmore Estate, built by George Vanderbilt II in the late 19th-century and the largest private residence in the world. With 250 rooms, 8,000 acres, extensive gardens and delightful restaurants, its presence is hard to ignore. Biltmore Village was a company town built at the entrance of the Estate and today is a charming shopping district. The Grove Arcade is a lovingly restored giant market that was built in 1929 and is a great place to buy goods from local merchants.

Old fashioned arcades, art galleries, street buskers, antique stores, gothic spires, Art Deco buildings and the impressive Biltmore Estate contribute to Asheville's appeal.   The downtown area is nicknamed the "Paris of the South," and comfy cafes and intimate bistros are in abundance, serving everything from BBQ to Indian cuisine.   On the west side of town, the River Arts District is home to all sorts of artists and musicians (mainly bluegrass), many of whom are renovating old warehouses, giving Asheville much of its creative vibe.

This beautiful region is rich with outdoor activities, from hiking the Appalachian Trail and river rafting to telemark skiing and enjoying a drive along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. Nearby Shining Rock Wilderness Area and Mount Mitchell, the highest peak (6,684 feet) east of the Mississippi River, afford a sweeping view of Asheville and the surrounding wilderness. In the autumn, the haze clears and the woods explode with breathtaking color.

Asheville's senior services are quite good.  The University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) has 3,600 students and offers the award-winning North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement (NCCCR), a program that provides an array of opportunities for lifelong learning, civic engagement, research and community service. The College for Seniors is a program within the NCCCR and gives participants full access to UNCA's resources.  Join Other Seniors for Lunch is a group that invites Asheville's mature residents to participate in planned activities and fellowship. Leadership Asheville Seniors lets retirees meet with community leaders to help shape the retirement scene. The Buncombe County Council on Aging provides numerous services to the area's seniors.  Asheville Transit provides public transportation, and a couple of services offer rides for people with disabilities.

Mission Hospital is licensed for 800 beds and is accredited by the Joint Commission.  It has 50 specialties and has won several national quality awards.   It also offers several senior services, including help with filing medical claims, a 24-hour home monitoring service and a health education program.  Both Medicare and Medicaid patients are accepted.

Asheville enjoys a temperate climate (people come here in the summer to cool off), with summer temperatures in the 70s and 80s.  Winter temperatures in the 30s and 40s (the elevation is 2,134 feet).   The area receives 3 to 4 inches of precipitation per month, including some snow.

For all of its good points, and there are many, Asheville has definite drawbacks. Many residents seem to love their town, but just as many bemoan how their once unpretentious, inexpensive mountain community has changed in the last 20 years.  Tourists are wall to wall during the summer months, creating traffic congestion, and  new money and developers have arrived.   Surrounding hillsides that were once covered in trees and teeming with wildlife now have gated communities with expensive homes.   Most people are friendly, but not everyone welcomes the new residents, some of whom do not seem to respect Asheville's long-standing traditions and Southern approach to life.   And some new residents are surprised that Asheville has homeless people.  Class lines are evident, and Asheville seems to be in the middle of an identity struggle.

And there have been recent instances of the city forcibly annexing county land for tax revenue, substantially increasing the taxes on county residents. Some complain that the city is not particularly clean.   Both the crime rate and the poverty rate are higher than the national average.