SO YOU WANT TO MOVE TO ASHEVILLE?

SO you want to move to Asheville? Motivated to join The Last of the Hippie Tribe? Or thirsty for handcrafted beer? Or you read all these travel mag pitches about spiritual sweetness, healthy food living and happy, artsy people vibe? Let's see... Basics. Rent. The new normal in my city, according to Citizen-Times Asheville, is “living with roommates.” That is, if you are dependent on hourly wages in low-paying industries. The average cost of renting a home or an apartment in Asheville climbed 7.6 percent from March 2015 through March 2016, the highest surge in North Carolina. The median rent for a two-bedroom unit has reached $1,180 a month, the highest in the state for that size among a set of 10 large North Carolina cities selected by Apartment List, a research outfit based in Frisco. Charlotte and Durham are second and third with respective median rents of $1,140 and $1,100 for a two-bedroom unit.

          So unless you are moving to the mountain with hefty savings and with a partner who equally got that blessing, then go. Adventure. If not, and you're one of those young starry-eyed lovers who'd profess to equinox moon, “I will support my sweetheart's art because I believe in love,” think again. Okay, maybe a job? Okay, here's some more info for you. The good news, sort of. Asheville has one of the state's lowest unemployment rates, and that’s been true for years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since 2005, the city's unemployment rate has been lower than state and national averages. Get it? But here's the kick. The bad news, sort of.

          Most of those jobs come in what we call, BYOJ or “Bring your own job.” For years, jobseekers have compared Asheville to a some bad party, the kind where the host is broke and guests must bring their own PBRs and Trader Joe's wine. Sure, you know that BYOJ is cribbed from the party acronym BYOB, “bring your own beer.” So this means, you could either be a Trust Baby with moolah from mom and dad for an organic-only, gluten free ramen restaurant. Or you got this job option called telecommuting—like working in the relative comfort of your house for some start-up firm in Napa Valley or e-product sales outfit in Macau. Pay is not good but at least you can work with your Mickey Mouse PJs as you gobble Krispy Kremes all you want while Facebooking, right? Major perk is you are not working for some One Percenter corporate jerk that you love attacking on your page. Your soul is saved. Money doesn't change everything, you know.

          Or you can actually work as a dreadlocked server (that's okay) or spa front desk clerk. A college degree? Come on, you are not a Yuppie! We got hundreds (or thousands) of restaurants here—all over downtown and Western North Carolina, actually. Tips are good. Bob Dylan loves The Orange Peel and President Obama digs 12 Bones Smokehouse. The rich and famous love this town! Selfies with celebs and rock stars could be free, you know.

          So with those infos, think about it. I tell you thi, I am broke as ever. But I am still in Asheville—since winter of 1999, with two-year break (2007-09) in Los Angeles, to date. And I still got a helluva stock of ramens in the cupboard. Dig?