Asheville, NC has long attracted people of all kinds. Especially lovers of the outdoors – thanks to its position in the Blue Ridge Mountains and alongside the French Broad River. Ask nearly any non-native Ashevillian about how they found the place. And they’ll likely say they came for a visit and fell in love. If you’re considering moving to Asheville and find rooms to rent in Asheville, we got you!
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Getting to know Asheville, NC
Asheville is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It’s located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers. And it’s also the largest city in Western North Carolina and the state’s 12th most populous city.
Asheville has a humid subtropical climate, resembling the rest of the Piedmont region of the southeastern U.S., but with noticeably cooler temperatures due to the higher elevation.
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Finding rooms for rent in Asheville, NC
Asheville is essentially the largest city in the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. It’s known for its fine dining, mild climate, and an array of year-round activities. Asheville also provides the perfect amount of variety for potential renters looking to find rooms for rent in Asheville.
Top neighborhoods in Asheville
Lakeview Park
Many different areas of Asheville have gone through cycles of growth, decline, and then re-growth. But North Asheville has been resilient. This part of the city is known to be affluent and also residential. Lakeview Park is also home to tranquil Beaver Lake, popular for fishing, boating, and paddleboarding. Lakeside paths draw joggers and dog walkers. As well as a boardwalk nature trail loops through peaceful wetlands in Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. The neighborhood’s winding streets also showcase homes in a mix of architectural styles, including Tudor Revival and Cape Cod!
Town of Biltmore Forest
This premiere community adjacent to the infamous George Vanderbilt’s castle was developed in the 1920s. It was initially meant for people who weren’t as rich as Vanderbilts to build McMansions. Biltmore Forest is your traditional old-money neighborhood. Surprisingly yet interestingly so, the neighborhood doesn’t have any gates or guardhouses!
Asheville Downtown
With beautiful Art Deco architecture, a vibrant nightlife and lots of eateries, Asheville’s downtown is growing in popularity as a place to live, especially with the emergence of new condos.
With the renaissance of Asheville well underway, downtown residents enjoy the convenience of walking to great restaurants, live music, special events, and shopping. If you’re looking for a room to rent in Asheville, in a neighborhood that is young and lively, Downtown is the place to be!
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Average rent in Asheville, NC
With the renaissance of Asheville well underway, downtown residents enjoy the convenience of walking to great restaurants, live music, special events, and also shopping. Here’s how much it costs to rent an apartment in Asheville:
| Rooms For Rent | Average Rent |
| 1 Bedroom Apartment For Rent In Asheville | $956 |
University life in Asheville, NC
Asheville and its surrounding area is home to several institutions of higher education. Considering these institutions are all located in a historical city like Asheville, they’re always a good visit, even if you’re not a student.
There’s something interesting about each of the universities in Asheville. For instance, The University of North Carolina at Asheville is the only designated liberal arts institution in the 16-campus University of North Carolina system. Similarly, Warren Wilson College (Swannanoa, NC) is nestled in the lush Swannanoa river valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains just a few miles east of Asheville. And the campus is nothing short of being breathtakingly beautiful.
Here are the top universities in Asheville, NC
- The University of North Carolina at Asheville
- Warren Wilson College
- Montreat College
- Western Carolina University
- Brevard College
How transit-friendly is Asheville?
The city of Asheville has many innovative transportation options. For instance, there’s the historic trolley, in addition to more traditional taxi services and regular bus routes. Similarly, pedestrian-friendly areas are perfect for setting your own pace, and the outlying areas offer everything from Segway tours to guided waterfall tours.
Walkability in Asheville
Asheville is kind of walkable, if the ratings from the site Walk Score are any indication. The site, which lists and rates walkable neighborhoods, scores Asheville overall at a 57 or “somewhat walkable”.
Roads and traffic in Asheville
Asheville is an easy drive from most of the eastern United States. It is centrally located in the epicenter of numerous major cities and easily accessible from the following interstates and highways: I-26, I-40 and I-240; U.S. 19/23, 25, 25A, 70, and 74.
Feel like entering Asheville via road? Don’t miss out on the views at the Blue Ridge Parkway – considered the nation’s most scenic highway. The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway winds along the Blue Ridge Mountains, through Asheville, and into the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are several overlooks, roadside exhibits and hiking trails that make a trip along the Parkway a delight year-round. The Parkway intersects with Asheville at four points: US 25, US 70, US 74, and NC 191.
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Taxis in Asheville
Cabs are easily available in Asheville, with popular ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft operating within the greater Asheville area. The rideshare pick-up area is located past the north end of the airport terminal of the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL).
Public transportation in Asheville
Asheville offers public transit through the ART (Asheville Rides Transit) bus service that operates across the city and to the town of Black Mountain. Routes originate from a central station located at 49 Coxe Avenue.
Airports in Asheville
The Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) serves more than one million passengers per year. It offers non-stop flights and easy connections through the major US hubs of the following airports:
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Newark (EWR)
- Chicago (ORD)
- LaGuardia (LGA)
- Washington, D.C./Baltimore (BWI)
- Charlotte (CLT)
The airport currently offers services from Allegiant, American, Delta, Elite, Spirit, and United Airlines. In season, with approximately 25 round trip flights per day, a non-stop flight or single connection can get you to Asheville from just about anywhere.
Located 10 miles (approximately 15 minutes) from downtown, AVL is served by major rental car companies as well as a host of other ground transportation providers.
Cycling in Asheville
There are multiple biking trails in Asheville, NC where you can take the time to take in the scenery, as well as get a good work out in!
French Broad River Greenway
French Broad River Park in West Asheville is home to vast green spaces speckled with large, old trees, and a paved greenway for biking. The 2.8-mile trail extends from the French Broad River Park and links to Hominy Creek Park and Carrier Park.
Blue Ridge Parkway
Although the Blue Ridge Parkway is known as “America’s Favorite Drive,” it’s also a favorite route among cyclists. The section of the Parkway that wraps around Asheville is fairly flat (outside of one strenuous climb of 3,000 feet), making it a great ride for both experts and beginners.
Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive features a bike lane for road cyclists and is a great option for a flat ride along the French Broad River without going too far outside of downtown Asheville.
Restaurants in Asheville
Asheville’s creative vibe and collaborative spirit have fueled the rapid growth of a thriving, eclectic restaurant scene. The small mountain city has a remarkably large pool of talented chefs who source inspiration from the city itself. But that’s not all!
Most of the restaurants in Asheville source much of their fresh ingredients from Western North Carolina’s tight-knit network of innovative farmers, foragers, and food artisans. Appalachian fare, Southern comfort food, and whole-hog barbecue mingle with flavors from Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and beyond, making for a riot of restaurant choices at mealtime.
Here are some of our favorite restaurants in Asheville:
Historical spots in Asheville
Some of the most famous historical spots include the affluent Montford Area Historic District. This historic area features distinctive Queen Anne, Arts and Crafts, and Colonial Revival houses, many now restored as B&Bs. Each summer, the Montford Park Players bring crowds to Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre for the outdoor Shakespeare Festival. Authors Thomas Wolfe and O. Henry are among those buried in the sprawling Riverside Cemetery, which has flower gardens and statue-topped mausoleums.
Then there’s the Biltmore Estate — which is a historic house museum and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore House, the main residence, is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895 and is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 square feet of floor space. It is still owned by George Vanderbilt’s descendants, and remains one of the most prominent examples of Gilded Age mansions.
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