In yogurt, it's what provides the density and tang.  At an opera, it's what you say you are experiencing.  In Asheville, NC, it's what residents and visitors value.  What is Asheville?  Why, it's the culture.  No matter where you're coming from or what your final destination may be, on any given day in downtown Asheville you'll find some part of the culture to relate to and that you can really appreciate.  This Asheville resident loves the North Carolina mountain city for the way the culture collides, and melds, and works so well together.

Wander around on any warm summer Friday evening downtown and you'll see and feel it.  On one side of town, Pritchard park is alive with drums.  People of all ages are moving to the rhythm of the drum circle that has become very popular.  What I love, what others love, are all the different faces that you'll see.  Old and young smiling faces finding their groove.  People that you would never pick or place in the same setting, causing everyone in attendance to share the beat.  Amazing, really.

The diversity doesn't stop with the musical uniqueness.  Asheville has restaurants.  Lots of restaurants.  Many very good.  As a popluar retirement and tourist destination, Asheville supports several successful culinary entrepreneurs.  There is more to love, however, than just the food.  Never before have I lived in a city that hosts so many points of view and styles of life.  Scan any popular, fairly upscale restaurant, and you'll find a blend of people that highlights the Asheville melting pot.  Dreadlocks and gray hair.  Hemp clothing and silk blouses.  Side-by-side.  Each enjoying the town, and choosing to live in the town, because of the sense of community and the beauty of the mountains.

The beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains draws you in. I  came to Asheville for the mountain streams.  I have friends that were drawn by the bike trails.  Others come because they are artists and love the like-minded community.  Still others come to be a part of a community that accepts more diversity than most.  Maybe it's the climate, the strong medicine community, the holistic approach to medicine, the vibe, the energy, or the drums.  There is no shortage of things to get involved with in Asheville.  Choose a cause or lifestyle and you'll find a community.  "Anyway You Like It" (the city's marketing slogan) describes the variety of culture and opportunities available to everyone.

There is something about this city.  It gets in you, its appeal spreads, and before you know it you call it home.  Asheville is comfortable.  It can be exciting, or intellectual, or passionate, or rebellious.  The combination of the people, the things they do, and the place in which they do it make the culture of the city very rich.  It works very well, despite all its contrasts.  It works so well that this enculturated Ashevillian, like may others that come and choose to stay, has gotten it in my blood.  The sights, sounds, tastes, and people contribute to the most inviting culture I have ever experienced.  - Doug Thomson

Visit:  www.Your-Asheville-Mountains.com