Letter: Goodbye, once-beautiful Asheville

Graphic by Lori Deaton

We moved here 10 years ago, but between the nasty-ass tourists and the ridiculously bad crime rate per capita, we also have decided to move away.

Goodbye, once-beautiful Asheville, we’re glad we got to know you way back when you were still awesome.

— Dan Swing
Asheville

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17 thoughts on “Letter: Goodbye, once-beautiful Asheville

  1. kw

    Yeah, the mayor and Asheville City Council are not listening. They are not paying attention to their city, their voters, their neighbors, climate change, challenges of uncontrolled exponential growth, nationwide trends, minuscule parks, deforestation, a polluted river, looming food and water shortages, or reality…

    Time to find some real leaders with wisdom and vision, humans who care about Community, health and public safety of current/future residents, and vote these current temporary lame asses out!!!!!

  2. NFB

    So you are just going to contribute to the growth problems someplace else is having?

  3. Icenine

    Because there weren’t tourists here ‘way back’ 10 years ago right? Oh wait, you were the tourist back then.

    • Lou

      Haven’t you heard? They just sold out the Parkway and French Broad to the highest bidder; Raytheon. We’re toast…literally.

  4. Feel the Burn

    Really easy to understand why Asheville has gone down the tubes, just look what party is running the top ten most crime ridden cities in NC. Look at the top ten cities with the highest crime rate in the country.

    • luther blissett

      I mean, Bryson City is a city. Sylva is a city. Spare us this nonsense.

      Cities have (recorded) crime because cities have police departments whose job it is to look for crime. Rural areas have deputies who overlook crimes (you know why) and have opioid addictions and intense poverty. If Asheville’s doing you down, move to Murphy. Off you go. Bye!

      • WNC

        (Why don’t you tell us why)? Are the deputies or the rural citizenry the ones in intense poverty with opioid addictions or just blanket statement for all county residents.

      • Feel the Burn

        It’s comical how leftists make statements without any proof to verify their point. What proof do you have that deputies don’t enforce laws in their jurisdiction fairly other than watching too many tv shows? Walking Tall, Justified maybe?

        As far as moving, I’m actually from here as my family has been in this area since the mid 1800’s and I won’t be leaving anytime soon. I would be happy to provide you with directions to I-75 North free of charge.

        Lastly, drum roll please….Canton, Clyde, Waynesville, Bryson City, Robbinsville, and Murphy all have police departments….mic drop.

        • Lou

          It’s comical how scared conservatives get so mad because their grip on power is waning and immediately resort to name calling and stereotyping. Nobody cares how long you’ve lived here or how many of your relatives actually married each other Derwood. Get a grip.

          • Feel the Burn

            Wow Lou, sounds like you have some experiences in inter family relationships and it shows.

        • luther blissett

          “What proof do you have that deputies don’t enforce laws in their jurisdiction fairly”

          You’re clearly a loud nth-generation native, so if you’re going to tell me that deputies are trawling Barnardsville and Fairview looking for broken tail lights on old trucks held together with wire and duct tape, I’m just going to laugh and laugh and laugh at you.

    • Justin

      We have a city council that worries more about equity and social justice than the rampant drug use and crime rate of its citizens. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen obviously high people in the middle of the streets completely ignored by the AVPD. And who could blame them?!? When it comes to supporting police and actually doing something about the crime in our streets, Buncombe county is living up to its name. You want Asheville to be more than a crime ridden homeless encampment? Start supporting our police officers and prosecute criminals. Partisan activists, and ineffective single issue politicians are destroying this county.

  5. Lifelong

    Boo boo. Translation. Right wing coded language. I’m sure they’ll be happy in Central Florida. I’m told the hurricanes, Insects and alligators large enough to eat a deer, will be an easy adjustment compared to the “horrors” they endured living here in one of the most geographically desired places in the country. Crime is up everywhere. Read a newspaper. We’re coming out of a pandemic. There are desperate people among us. All those whining that Asheville is a progressive, liberal city – yep, true. I’m old enough to remember when it WAS NOT. This is way better. If you don’t like – don’t let the door hit your behind on the way out of town. Others are waiting to take your place. And please don’t write some tacky “it’s all gone to hell” post or email. No one will care that you left.

    • Alan S Blankenship

      You are correct that Asheville is a progressive liberal city and you should be proud. Crime is not up “everywhere” though it is across the nation as a whole. Asheville crime rate exceeds most every other city in the nation. Can’t blame the pandemic as every city went through it and crime has not risen in every city as it has in Asheville. Could it be a slashing of their budget? I mean the Asheville PD isn’t even answering all their 911 calls as notes by the police chief. Could the rise in crime have anything to do with Asheville PD loosing nearly half of their force to retirement, relocation, or outright quitting? Considering how we have demonized them can you blame them for leaving? I mean this is what we want and what we demanded. Defund those racist murdering police. Now, this is what we have.

  6. Steve Brace

    It saddens me to see what Asheville has become . The tourist are part of the problem but not the main one . Outside Money and Greed is the destructive force , along with too many people moving in from bigger cities wanting to change it to thier likings . I remember not that long ago where people knew each other in town , being friendly was the commonplace , helping each other came easy . We had the beloved Bele Chere , along with other little gatherings and festivals , what happened ? Those with the money who are paying off City council didn’t like them because those were for the average person who wasn’t spending money in their high priced shops . It sad to see the congestion and those from out of town who do not respect or appreciate the beauty of our once beautiful town . I pray things don’t continue on the path they are but the love of money is evil and it had made a bed in Beautiful Asheville

  7. Felix Babbins

    And it saddens me that those that move from a big city to move here want to make our city just like what they left. So the newbies start complaining Asheville doesn’t appear to have everything they wanted. Our wonderful city leaders advertise the crap out of Asheville and so get those people to move here and now have new voters that aren’t happy. So to get and keep those voters voting them into office, they do what the newcomers want and don’t listen to the natives. So one thing’s clear, we need to get off the couch and do some homework and get active in voting during local elections. If natives want a voice, you have to vote out who’s in now. Because it’s obvious who we have “leading” us now isn’t listening.

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