Asheville NC - I'm looking for a unique place to live...

September 26, 2008 6:11 AM

Asheville NC - I'm looking for a unique place to live... When I say "unique" I mean cheap ;)

I'm moving to the Asheville area with my fiance in mid January, and we'd like to live somewhere fun, but cheap. We'll only be in town for 8-10 months, so signing a year long lease isn't feasible. Are there any little "yurt-towns" near Asheville? Is there a town in the area with an abundance of cabins for rent? Running water would be nice to have, but we can do without electricity if we need to...

Basically, we're trying to live around Asheville temporarily (until we get hitched) because it sounds like such a great place to be, and we'd like to save a bit of money while we're down there. We also both really like the idea of cabins and yurts ;)

posted by Glendale to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

It's cold in Asheville in January. You might want to keep that in mind. Other than that, I haven't got any suggestions for you except to check out the bulletin boards at Green Life and Earth Fare.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:46 AM on September 26, 2008

Here are some thoughts from a big fan of (but only occasional visitor to) Asheville. It is a great place to be.

- There's a decently active Craigslist community for Asheville and I bet you'll get some interesting replies by posting in the "housing wanted" category.

- Asheville definitely will get cold enough that you'll need real & reliable heat for whatever dwelling you end up in.

- If you're fine being about a 40-minute drive from downtown Asheville, first thing that came to my mind is the gorgeous, tiny town of Hot Springs, NC (directly on the Appalachian trail). The riverside campground there has eight nice, small, heated cabins and friendly management who *might* be talked into renting you a cabin long-term for some rate that seems cheap to you (if you can be any more specific about what's cheap, it might help people answer here). Go here and click Campground.
posted by kalapierson at 8:51 AM on September 26, 2008

I'm from New England and have definitely survived a lot of -30 degree (with windchill) days, so I'm not too worried about the temperatures. I realize it can get chilly in the Appalachians during the winter months but I'm sure we can manage.

Cheap for me is something no more than 400 bucks a month. Right now I spend 650.
posted by Glendale at 9:08 AM on September 26, 2008

I think you could find what you're looking for on craigslist. Bat Cave and Lake Lure (southeast of Asheville) might offer some great off season cabin rental deals, about 45 minutes from downtown Asheville. Also check out farms or communities in Weaverville, Fairview, Sandy Mush, Brevard, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Marshall... there are lots of little towns near the Asheville area where rent can be pretty cheap.
posted by Rocket26 at 4:47 PM on September 26, 2008