Opinions on these cities- Roanoke, VA, Asheville, NC, Knoxville, TN

[Ballroom]

We are considering relocating to one of these cities. Does anyone have any recommendations? I want a country house, close to a city with lots of homeschool opportunities, and friendly people ( sick of small town bologna!) Lots of outdoor fun too. Thank you so much for any advice. Also I love Asheville....is it really super liberal?

[mamato3]

I used to live in Roanoke and it seems to fit your description. I would describe it as quite conservative. Lots of homeschoolers. My old friends are involved in cc which I think has several campuses. Also lots of people live outside the city. I can answer more specific questions if you have them.

[Ballroom]

I used to live in Roanoke and it seems to fit your description. I would describe it as quite conservative. Lots of homeschoolers. My old friends are involved in cc which I think has several campuses. Also lots of people live outside the city. I can answer more specific questions if you have them.

 

 

Thank you! Are there any part time homeschool/ private schools? How are the local libraries, any other info would be wonderful...thanks so much!

[besroma]

I love Asheville. You could definitely find what you are looking for in Asheville. I like Dillsboro, Waynesville, Arden, Hendersonville....there are many great towns and small cities near Asheville.

 

It is liberal, but there are also many churches to choose from, so some areas would also be considered conservative. There are so many outdoor sports opportunities there. You could go hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, cycling, or whitewater rafting. They have homeschool groups and co-ops, and people are friendly.

 

They have several great health food stores there, excellent restaurants, and quaint downtown areas to explore (Waynesville, Dillsboro, Hendersonville, Black Mountain).

[Pegasus]

I live in Knoxville and, as I'm sure you know, Asheville is just 2 hours away, so I will comment on these 2 locations. They both have friendly people and have lots of outdoor fun opportunities. Here are a few considerations:

 

1. Knoxville has a significantly lower cost of living than Asheville. You would need to make $62K in Asheville to compare to $50K in Knoxville.

 

2. Both NC and East TN are conservative. I have heard that the city of Asheville is more liberal but if you want a country house, you will definitely be in conservative surroundings.

 

3. Tennessee doesn't tax earned income.

 

4. North Carolina has the edge on better instate universities (Virginia too for that matter)

 

5. Tennessee has a state lottery that funds instate college scholarships. These are available to homeschoolers.

[Pegasus]

Thank you! Are there any part time homeschool/ private schools? How are the local libraries, any other info would be wonderful...thanks so much!

 

I'll answer these for Knoxville. There are part-time homeschool/private school opportunities if you are Christian. The opps are sadly lacking for everyone else. ALL the church-related schools available to register with for homeschooling (as an alternative to registering to homeschool through the public schools) are Christian. A few allow non-Christians to register, using a statement of ethics in place of a statement of faith. There are homeschool co-ops and again, the only ones I'm aware of are Christian. There IS an inclusive homeschool group that advertises classes and opportunities but it is rather informal.

 

I would say the Knoxville library system is strong. There are several different branches but you can request anything from other branches to pick up at your closest branch. Interlibrary loan with other library systems is good and generally free.

[mamato3]

Faith Christian school started out of a homeschool group and when we left they still allowed part time. Worth checking into. My kiddos were young when we left so not sure about the libraries.

 

Cost of living was great! Lots of outdoor options. We loved it!

[Chris in VA]

Isn't Asheville, NC Jan Karon's inspiration for Mitford?

 

 

Really? (She said, dryly.) She must've never been there.

 

Ds moved there to attend a halfway-type residential treatment house.

There's lots to do, but downtown? Downtown is the most drug-infested, nasty, hippy-dippy crap place I've ever been to...and that's saying something, since I've lived in Miami.

 

Do I sound bitter?

 

Just a bit.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I think Knoxville is a great city. It really has a lot to offer. I would agree that there are a lot of great homeschool oportunites, but I do think that most (if not all) are protestant Christian. But for a small city there is a lot. We love the zoo. We enjoy the symphony, and there is a great youth orchestra if your kids play instruments. UT is a large university, so there are opportunites there. In TN your high school student (11th grade) can take up to 2 classes a semester using the HOPE scholarships funds (covers the state college's tution rate). Cost of living is low compared to other cities, and you are not that far from Nashville. Ashville is nice, but it is isolated. They do have better restaurants. :)

[Samiam]

Lived in Asheville and it's really two extremes....it is called the San Francisco of the East by some...so yeah, liberal and there's a very much hippie cultural in some parts. I mean, real hippie types, not just the wanna be's. Full look, full attitude, full embrace of mentality. Then there's the flip side...the Southern country conseratives, very old-fashioned Christian values, ...very not liberal. You'll find BOTH in the homeschooling world, and usually they are NOT in the same group, lol (I actually was in both types of groups, just floated under the radar for the ones that were more, umm, judgemental on beliefs). The Christian HS groups are very much so, and there's a few great groups that are active, and organized that are more crunchy-granola-ish. Overall, HS is very much accepted, and common.

 

Asheville area is an expensive area. I think alot has to do with the tourism they get, which makes alot of people want to buy vacation homes/live there. So prices reflect that. Everything was either junk (and still pricey!) or nice but way over priced. NC taxes are high, as in gas prices are about .20-.30 higher than in SC just over the border. There's really no industry there really, so either bring your own job, or work in the tourism industry (not good pay). I mean, of course there's some work, but overall, it's not a place to go to look for a career.

 

Library system is mediocre :(. Mainstream shopping is mediocre (Asheville area doesn't really want big box retailers...there is a few here and there, but not much).

 

That being said, I loved Asheville and wished we were still there. What we loved is the access to the outdoors. Ten minutes and we were IN the mountains. A day with nothing to do? Let's pack a sandwich, and water and go for a hike, or go to a lake, or go to the river. You just felt like you SHOULD be outside doing something. Everyone there does outdoor stuff. HS groups often met near creeks/slow rivers for play dates, instead of parks. It's just flat out gorgeous. It was like a dream come true for a Charlotte Mason education, lol.

 

Everyone there is NICE. I think it comes from being in such a laid back place..it's not a feeling of rush, rush, rush....it took me sometime getting use to how nice everyone is...had to take my walls down :).

[Terabith]

I live in Roanoke, and I love it. It's beautiful with lots of outdoor recreation activities. There's even a Kids in the Valley Outside that organizes a number of outdoor activities for families. There's a lot of diversity, politics wise. To be honest, it's a southern town, and so there is definitely a conservative streak, but it also has two colleges plus a community college and just down the road from Virginia Tech, so there is a fairly academic liberal subculture as well. There is also a fairly active hippy type community, as well. I find it to be fairly friendly, but it's a city, albeit a small one, so there's not a ton of small town gossip, although where you live factors into that as well.

 

Faith Christian School does allow part time homeschool attendence for grades 6-12. Community School allows part time attendence from elementary school. There are a lot of homeschoolers, but not as many co-ops as I would expect.

 

It's a fairly affordable place to live, and I would personally love to have another hive member in town!

[Momof3littles]

I love Asheville, hippy dippy folks and all :) I have only visited and have no idea what the HSing atmosphere is like. I'm also a liberal, so that aspect wouldn't bother me one bit.

[jmccumbers]

We live in the Asheville area. There are a TON of homeschoolers and homeschool offerings in this area. There's even a homeschool sport league. Like a previous poster said, there seems to be two separate groups of homeschoolers, the secular ones and the Christian ones. There is a yahoo group for each group that keeps you up-to-date on the happenings around you. Asheville as a whole is extremely liberal, but there are many conservatives also. Lot's of outdoor activities abound. It's a beautiful place. I personally would look for a home in an area right outside Asheville, not the city. I like Mills River, Candler, Fairview, and Hendersonville. :-)

[pehp]

I live in the Roanone area...grew up here.

 

What has been said is very accurate! I have a bias in favor of my home city...I will admit that. It is a good small city with some cultural opportunities (we have season tickets to the symphony...there's a good, although financially floundering, art museum...Hollins U and Roanoke College provide some interesting opportunities). Downtown is growing, and has a nice array of restaurants and little shops. I think Roanoke is also politically diverse. We have a good natural foods co-op...good farmers market....etc.

 

Cost of living is good, I think. Real estate prices in some areas can seem a but inflated, but in general I think it is a great place to live, financially speaking.

 

And there are plenty of hiking trails and outdoor activities to enjoy!!

[DaffodilDreams]

 

 

I'll answer these for Knoxville. There are part-time homeschool/private school opportunities if you are Christian. The opps are sadly lacking for everyone else. ALL the church-related schools available to register with for homeschooling (as an alternative to registering to homeschool through the public schools) are Christian. A few allow non-Christians to register, using a statement of ethics in place of a statement of faith. There are homeschool co-ops and again, the only ones I'm aware of are Christian. There IS an inclusive homeschool group that advertises classes and opportunities but it is rather informal.

 

I would say the Knoxville library system is strong. There are several different branches but you can request anything from other branches to pick up at your closest branch. Interlibrary loan with other library systems is good and generally free.

 

 

The bit about all of the TN church related schools being Christian is not true. The Farm School in Summertown, TN is a secular option. We have used them from the beginning and have been very happy.

[Ballroom]

I appreciate your comments so much! My husband has his own business, and works from home so job market is not a concern. I want friendly and sweet Christian homeschoolers who are use to newbies coming around. I have lived in a small town for a long time that isn't very transient, and I'm sick of the weird cliques that form. In a larger city, I'm hoping this problem will not be as rampant.

[Samiam]

I want friendly and sweet Christian homeschoolers who are use to newbies coming around. I have lived in a small town for a long time that isn't very transient, and I'm sick of the weird cliques that form. In a larger city, I'm hoping this problem will not be as rampant.

 

Well, Asheville is NOT a large city environment. Maybe bigger than the small town you are in, BUT overall, it has small city feel to it. Nothing is really that far away (although it takes a while to drive to places because it's not straight roads, but up and down mountains).

 

What you have is the Asheville proper area, which is the college/hippie/tourist area. Not really where most families would live, unless you really wanted/needed to be involved in the artsy, hippie scene (lots of artists in the area). You'd probably go to one of the outskirt towns. I personally never met one single homeschool family that actually lived in the Asheville "center". I made a huge effort to become integrated with different HS groups while we were there. There is Weaverville, Arden, Fairview, Black Mountain and then Hendersonville, and a few others thrown in. Arden is really just a suburb of Asheville, so no really "town" feel to it, just suburbia. Weaverville, Black Mountain and Hendersonville are all their own towns, their own "space", ie you know when you've left Asheville and when you've gotten to one of these towns.

 

Honestly, while we moved to Asheville because we loved ASHEVILLE when we were tourists....once we were living there, we rarely actually went to Downtown Asheville...a few times for a good restaurant eat, but for the most part, it's for tourists :(.

 

We lived first in Arden, which is mid-way between Asheville and Hendersonville, and then moved to Mills River to a house out in the country. We found ourselves headed to Hendersonville quite alot , it has a very cute downtown and a much more family-friendly vibe.

 

(which is funny, because when we were visiting to look for a place to live, we asked the young, hippy, artsy like waitress at a downtown restaurant about good places in town to live, good neighborhoods, she said she LUUUUVES the West Side and Hendersonville was for the senior citizens......laughable now because the West Side is the artsy/hippy area of downtown and we didn't feel completely comfortable there, like we were too "yuppy", while we loved the small town feel of Hendersonville, haha!)

 

My point: Cliques are formed. These are mostly small town/mountain folks people who have lived there for a while, go to the same church, been homeschooling together for a while. I mean, of course people move in and people move out, happen all the time. But since there's no real industries/no jobs bring lots of people in, the locals are unto themselves because they mostly see you as a tourist, until you've been there a while.

 

So yes, people are friendly and by that I mean, the waitresses, the cashiers, store clerks,(the people who make their living from tourists,lol etc). The homeschoolers I met in the secular groups were friendly, I guess they are just more laid back overall...maybe more free in their overall lifestyle. The homeschoolers I met in the Christain groups were cliquey. Sure they were friendly in that they may smile at you, but hardly any went beyond that.

 

So used to newbies coming around? Hmm, not too much. Very transient area.....hmm, not too much. Cliques formed....yeah, absolutely.

[Ballroom]

 

 

Well, Asheville is NOT a large city environment. Maybe bigger than the small town you are in, BUT overall, it has small city feel to it. Nothing is really that far away (although it takes a while to drive to places because it's not straight roads, but up and down mountains).

 

What you have is the Asheville proper area, which is the college/hippie/tourist area. Not really where most families would live, unless you really wanted/needed to be involved in the artsy, hippie scene (lots of artists in the area). You'd probably go to one of the outskirt towns. I personally never met one single homeschool family that actually lived in the Asheville "center".

I made a huge effort to become integrated with different HS groups while we were there. There is Weaverville, Arden, Fairview, Black Mountain and then Hendersonville, and a few others thrown in. Arden is really just a suburb of Asheville, so no really "town" feel to it, just suburbia. Weaverville, Black Mountain and Hendersonville are all their own towns, their own "space", ie you know when you've left Asheville and when you've gotten to one of these towns.

Honestly, while we moved to Asheville because we loved ASHEVILLE when we were tourists....once we were living there, we rarely actually went to Downtown Asheville...a few times for a good restaurant eat, but for the most part, it's for tourists :(.

 

We lived first in Arden, which is mid-way between Asheville and Hendersonville, and then moved to Mills River to a house out in the country. We found ourselves headed to Hendersonville quite alot , it has a very cute downtown and a much more family-friendly vibe.

 

(which is funny, because when we were visiting to look for a place to live, we asked the young, hippy, artsy like waitress at a downtown restaurant about good places in town to live, good neighborhoods, she said she LUUUUVES the West Side and Hendersonville was for the senior citizens......laughable now because the West Side is the artsy/hippy area of downtown and we didn't feel completely comfortable there, like we were too "yuppy", while we loved the small town feel of Hendersonville, haha!)

 

My point: Cliques are formed. These are mostly small town/mountain folks people who have lived there for a while, go to the same church, been homeschooling together for a while. I mean, of course people move in and people move out, happen all the time. But since there's no real industries/no jobs bring lots of people in, the locals are unto themselves because they mostly see you as a tourist, until you've been there a while.

 

So yes, people are friendly and by that I mean, the waitresses, the cashiers, store clerks,(the people who make their living from tourists,lol etc). The homeschoolers I met in the secular groups were friendly, I guess they are just more laid back overall...maybe more free in their overall lifestyle. The homeschoolers I met in the Christain groups were cliquey. Sure they were friendly in that they may smile at you, but hardly any went beyond that.

 

So used to newbies coming around? Hmm, not too much. Very transient area.....hmm, not too much. Cliques formed....yeah, absolutely.

 

.

 

 

Appreciate the honesty.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I've lived in Asheville for 17 years and everything Samiam wrote is true. (Cutting comments short b/c I'm on my ipad. )

[Tess in the Burbs]

Downtown is the most drug-infested, nasty, hippy-dippy crap place I've ever been to...and that's saying something, since I've lived in Miami.

 

 

I grew up in Arden(south of Asheville) and went to college in Asheville. I agree the city has some good things about it but even in high school and college my teachers were smoking pot and out partying with the kids. I had a math professor arrested for drugs but nothing happened to him. It's more liberal then the outlying areas. But I went to church in the area growing up, so you can find conservative groups. But the drug scene is very prevalent. As a kid you knew people doing it...as young as middle school. It only got worse as I got older. We were all bored. You can only go hiking and mtn biking so many times...you get bored and around there kids do drugs. Just letting you know for the kids sakes.

 

But if you like outdoor stuff Asheville/W NC has tons to do. It's a higher cost of living though(Asheville) compared to other areas of the state and jobs aren't real easy to come by...at least good ones. You would need to be closer to Charlotte for better salary/lower cost of housing. So I guess it depends what industry job wise you want before moving to Asheville.

 

Dh and I both graduated from UNC-A and would love to move back(I still have family there) but he can't get a job doing what he does, and even if he found one it would pay about a third of what he makes now. And housing wouldn't be cheaper than our current location.

 

We have family in Roanoke as well... but I don't know enough about the area to comment. Sorry.

 

Good luck deciding. In this economy I would go where the job is unless you have some awesome job that doesn't matter. In that case consider your taxes....VA is lower than NC(sales tax too), but TN has no state taxes(right?).

[loulou belle]

I live in the Roanone area...grew up here.

 

What has been said is very accurate! I have a bias in favor of my home city...I will admit that. It is a good small city with some cultural opportunities (we have season tickets to the symphony...there's a good, although financially floundering, art museum...Hollins U and Roanoke College provide some interesting opportunities). Downtown is growing, and has a nice array of restaurants and little shops. I think Roanoke is also politically diverse. We have a good natural foods co-op...good farmers market....etc.

 

Cost of living is good, I think. Real estate prices in some areas can seem a but inflated, but in general I think it is a great place to live, financially speaking.

 

And there are plenty of hiking trails and outdoor activities to enjoy!!

 

 

I graduated from Hollins. I enjoyed my four years living in Roanoke.

[Candid]

We live in the Asheville area. There are a TON of homeschoolers and homeschool offerings in this area. There's even a homeschool sport league. Like a previous poster said, there seems to be two separate groups of homeschoolers, the secular ones and the Christian ones. There is a yahoo group for each group that keeps you up-to-date on the happenings around you. Asheville as a whole is extremely liberal, but there are many conservatives also. Lot's of outdoor activities abound. It's a beautiful place. I personally would look for a home in an area right outside Asheville, not the city. I like Mills River, Candler, Fairview, and Hendersonville. :-)

 

 

Okay, I'm curious, we have teams that play Asheville teams and they are consider a very strong home school athletic program. So who runs it?

[Oak Knoll Mom]

 

Okay, I'm curious, we have teams that play Asheville teams and they are consider a very strong home school athletic program. So who runs it?

 

 

It's an independent group of Christian homeschoolers. They are not associated with any particular group here in Asheville.

[Pegasus]

The bit about all of the TN church related schools being Christian is not true. The Farm School in Summertown, TN is a secular option. We have used them from the beginning and have been very happy.

 

Thank you for adding that bit of information, DaffodilDreams. The Farm School is classified as a non-public church-related school but states on their website that they are an alternative to denominational church related schools. I interpret that to mean that they are a non-denominational church-related school. They do not require a statement of faith.

[DaffodilDreams]

You're welcome! The Farm School grew out of the reknowned Farm Community that formed during the 60s/70s. Its "religion/church" is that of a peace-seeking, cooperative community that believes in the interconnectedness of all people and our planet, but one does not have to believe as they do in order to take advantage of the school's Cat IV status. The community has a fascinating history. We've been there and fell in love with the place, the people, and the school. If we were closer, I would take advantage of the part homeschool, part solar campus option. The few days we spent hanging out at the school left us quite impressed.

[TN Mama]

I love, love, love Knoxville! The people are very friendly, the homeschool options plentiful, and it is beautiful! There are lots of lakes, and it's very close to the Smoky Mountains. Best of luck with your search. :)