Letter: You pay a lot to live in the mountains

Posted on by Letters
Graphic by Lori Deaton

Just to mention, as per your article of living and wages [“Pay Raise: WNC Reacts to New Living Wage Rate,” Feb. 16, Xpress], I moved from Asheville in 2019, after just short of three years. I was living at Hawthorne at Southside apartments off Hendersonville Road. A nice area, but had I not moved from there at that time, I would have been paying $1,000 a month in rent for one of their older apartments, for a one-bedroom.

At the time of living in Asheville also, I was just working at a drugstore and without a second-income partner. The Asheville experience: You pay a lot to live in the mountains.

Now that I’ve moved to Greensboro, a three-hour drive away, I’m saving $300 a month in rent for where I am now. It’s not as updated as my Asheville apartment was, but for the price, I don’t miss paying higher rent.

— Irene Corey
Greensboro

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com
View all posts by Letters →

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Letter: You pay a lot to live in the mountains”

  2. kw

    Bravo! More people who cannot afford to live here should leave if it improves their lives. Now we just must slow down tourism and ‘affordable’ housing.

    • Voirdire

      sure, but how do we slow down the yankee retirees whom have descended on our fair spot in a swarm that would make locust envious? You know, the ones that expect in their luxurious retirement to be waited on hand and foot… hence the affordable housing types you so deplore. I’m quite sure more than a few of them would approve of your departure… you know… it’s a quality of life thing . bye.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.