Asheville, North Carolina
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Asheville is a city located in Buncombe County, North CarolinaTemplate:GR, 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.[1]
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.
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General information
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.
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.
Asheville is served by two regional shopping malls. The first and larger is Asheville Mall, anchored by Belk, Dillard's, J.C. Penney and Sears department stores. The other is Biltmore Square Mall in south Asheville, located off of Brevard Road at Interstate 26, opened in 1989 and currently encompassing 700,000 square feet of space. Anchor stores include Belk, Dillard's, Goody's and Proffitt's (which will become Belk in 2006).
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
Image:NCMap-doton-Asheville.PNG Asheville is located at 35°34'48" North, 82°33'21" West (35.579862, -82.555810)Template:GR.
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 censusTemplate:GR 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. 3.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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. 15.5% of the population and 10.3% of families were below the poverty line. 20.9% of those under the age of 18 and 10.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Several ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Asheville in honor of this town.
Asheville has several sister cities worldwide, including:
- Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, Russia
- San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
- Saumur, Arrondissement de Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France
- Karpenisi, Evritania, Sterea Ellada, Greece
History
Asheville was incorporated on Jan. 27, 1798. 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.
Education
Asheville and its surrounding area is home to several institutions of higher education.
- Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
- University of North Carolina at Asheville
- Mars Hill College
- Montreat College
- Warren Wilson College
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.
There are many opportunities as in other schools including sports (student-athletes must be making at least a C in all subjects), AIG (Academically/Intellectually Gifted), National History Day, Math Counts, Battle of the Books, Odyssey of the Mind, and Science Olympiad.
Music
Asheville 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, 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 tends to have an abundance of so-called "novelty" acts, which tend to be as much theatrical as musical. 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. Notable local bands and performers include Chuck Brodsky, Wayne Robbins & The Hellsayers, Mad Tea Party, Dig Shovel Dig, David LaMotte, Christine Kane, Monsters of Japan, Ironfist, Paperboy, GFE, Laura Blackley, Tyler Ramsey, Scrappy Hamilton, Descolada, Barrelhouse Mamas, Menage, The Rib Tips, Stephanie's Id, Toubab Krewe, and County Farm. Jazz is well represented as well by the Jazz Composers Forum (modeled after New York City's Jazz Composers Collective), and local jazz groups such as the Chronology Trio, Klarcnova, Done For the Evening, The Frank Southecorvo Group, Red Light Trio, and others. The jazz scene is heavily influenced by the progressive nature of the New York City jazz scene. The town is also home to the Asheville Symphony and the Asheville Lyric Opera. Major acts such as Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule also hail from Asheville.
External links
- Official Asheville, NC website
- Official Buncombe County, NC website
- Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
- Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Asheville-Buncombe Library System
- Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper
- Asheville, NC Guide
- Jazz Composers Forum (Music Resource)
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