Traveling to Asheville, NC

jansailsea · Aug 16, 2006

Thought I'd give you a shout...

I graduated from Asheville High, attended UNC-Asheville.

My parents still live in Asheville & both have been hospitalized at Mission Hospital (was called Memorial Mission but St. Joseph's & Memorial merged to create one system).

Late July 2005, my father (aged 74) broke his back in 2 places & had wonderful treatment at Mission. I had just graduated from PN school at Sarasota County Technical Institute as a returning adult student.

Asheville is booming with an influx of people from outside North Carolina & housing prices reflect it. Not far off from the high prices in Sarasota FL.

If you love the outdoors, artisanal/craft galleries, & a new emphasis on ecological green living- you will love Asheville.

If you hate winters that can be drizzly cold, grey, & overcast for almost all of January, February, & March- AVOID that time of year.

Myself, 2 sisters, & several cousins moved east & south of the mountains as they were sick of never seeing the sun shine through the cloud cover during the winter time. It can take a major weather system to push the cloud cover out of the valley.

Late April through November the trees still have leaves. After, it's lifeless looking as the leaves have fallen, & the mountains look dead & dark.

Now, that's the impressions of my family members who all moved away after finishing high school. None of us were born in the mountains like our parents, aunts & uncles were. We were either piedmont NC or Low Country coastal SC natives.

Good luck,

jansailsea

lmessajumper · Aug 20, 2006

LOVE IT THERE!! Been on travel assignments at Mission Memorial on the Cardiology stepdown unit 4 times. Great environment, cardiologists, assistive personnel, staffing, everything! Beautiful area. Pay is low but it is worth it occasionally. Take drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway, get a map of gravel/unpaved back road from a National Forest Service office and take back country rides, take Hwy 70 to Lake Lure (make sure to stop at the apple farms if it is the Fall), take walks in downtown Asheville. Say hello from L. Messa for me! Have fun.