Attracted to the climate and culture of Asheville, N.C.? Be prepared to pay a premium for real estate. For houses priced above $500,000, 2013 was the strongest year since [...]

There were some contradicting indicators in the housing market in Buncombe County in the 1st quarter of 2014 while the City of Asheville's indicators all point upward. The number of homes sold in the 1st quarter in Asheville was up 8.2% compared to the 1st quarter of 2013, but for Buncombe County, the figure was an 11.8% [...]

From 2003-2009, the median sale price for a home outside Asheville but still in Buncombe County was higher than it was inside the city. But the city and the county figures flip-flopped in 2010.                                                                                       

ASHEVILLE - The number of home buyers looking to live in neighborhoods within a reasonable bicycle ride of downtown Asheville reflects more than a desire to be close to a favorite brewpub, says local Realtor Mike Figura.  Demographers and real estate analysts nationwide say there is an increase in interest in urban living in many parts of the country, although there is disagreement about how strong it is and what it means for home sales in suburban and rural areas.

Statistics complied by Figura, head of Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty, suggest there has been a shift of some kind in the positions of the housing markets inside Asheville and outside city limits...more

Read the entire article here.

Mark Barrett, mbarrett@citizen-times.com

(Photo: John Coutlakis , jcoutlakis@citizen-times.com)

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2014/04/27/bike-ride-effect-asheville-home-prices-outpace-county/8336727/

Reservation for 12,000, please, for WNCAP's largest fundraiser!

You are cordially invited to join your friends, clients, family and co-workers on Thursday, April 24, 2014, for the 12th annual Dining Out For Life® benefit to support the mission of the Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP). Over 100 of the finest restaurants in WNC have generously agreed to donate 20% of their gross sales on April 24th to help ... needs are greater than ever this year with a reduction in federal funding, and an increasing number of clients who need help. You can do your part by simply dining out for breakfast, lunch or dinner or all three.

We at Mosaic are proud to be ambassadors this year, come see us at Sunny Point in West Asheville, and at Cucina 24 downtown.

Through the efforts of so many giving individuals and businesses, much needed AIDS awareness and education has been provided throughout WNC, while providing case-managed care to those whose lives have already been affected by HIV/AIDS.

Mark your calendars! Thursday, April 24, 2014.

  https://www.diningoutforlife.com/asheville

ASHEVILLE - It's spring. That means local produce is growing and Western North Carolina tailgate markets are opening. To guide local food followers and support certified local farms and businesses, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project has released the latest edition of its Local Food Guide. This year's Local Food Guide features more Appalachian Grown tailgate farmers market and Community Supported Agriculture listings than ever. Additionally, the guide has been updated with newly opened WNC restaurants committed to sourcing local food, as well as grocers, artisan food producers, wineries and more. ASAP's mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. Among its projects is the Growing Minds Farm to School Program, organizing Asheville City Market and coordinating the Mountain Tailgate Market Association.

More than one million copies of the Local Food Guide, part of the nonprofit's Local Food campaign, have been distributed since 2002.

The 2014 Local Food Guide can be picked up at ASAP's booth at the Mother Earth News Fair, Saturday and Sunday at the WNC Ag Center.

The latest guide listings can also be found online at appalachiangrown.org. Print copies will be distributed after the fair to more than 400 locations, the locations of which can be found on the guide page of asapconnections.org.

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/food/2014/04/08/asap-releases-latest-local-food-guide/7488589/

Miya Bailey wants to give back to hometown, he says. Atlanta-based tattoo artist Miya Bailey has made sure that he never forgets his hometown. He tattooed Asheville's area code -- 828 -- on his hand. Long before he was tattooing the likes of R&B star Usher or top model Eva, Bailey was catching crawfish in the creek at Montford Park in the 1980s. Or learning how to apply makeup, and later paint, from artists working with the Montford Park Players. Or selling his first piece of art, a piece of pottery, at a neighborhood festival. Now, he is using those same hands to return the gift Asheville gave him this summer. With help from another Asheville native and Atlanta artist, Paper Frank, Bailey will launch the Little Montford Festival this summer. "I want to get the community together together as much as possible," he said, noting he wanted the block party-type event to welcome everyone from the urban to the hippie communities in the city. He is still finalizing his vision, but noted that it will feature free food -- he's thinking barbecue with some veggie options -- live music performances, art demonstrations, with a vendor component that would be part craft fair/part neighborhoodwide yard sale. He is producing the festival during his national tour, which will take him to Los Angeles, New York, Houston, and, of course, his hometown of Asheville on June 19-22. He will launch a European tour in the fall. Ultimately, he hopes the festival could expose a young person to a new creative venture. "I think if young people get exposed to seeing (an artist paint) live, it could spark something in them," he said, much like Montford Park happenings inspired his artistic achievements. An artist painting in Montford inspired Bailey to paint for the first time, he said. He says he visits the Montford Park every time he visits Asheville. "It's just so beautiful," he said. "When you see something every day, you might overlook it." His emphasis on community-building and also creating a truly diverse event this summer echoes his interests of breaking down barriers in his shop, through his work and having honest, direct conversations about race. Bailey featured Montford Park in "Color Outside the Lines," a documentary that chronicles the work of black tattoo artists. He put some $30,000 of his own money into the film. The production took three years, and featured artists from across the country, and in London and Amsterdam. Bailey told Asheville Scene last year he wanted his scenes in the movie to say something about Asheville, the city that shaped him. "I shot most of my scenes in Pisgah View and Erskine Street apartments," Bailey said. "I wanted to show people my scene, show me coming up, show that you don't have to stay at the bottom." "Both sides of Asheville are never seen. So in the movie, you'll see downtown, then Hillcrest. You'll see beautiful Asheville, and the Asheville people don't want to show," Bailey said. "I want people to understand there are people there in the projects, and understand that Asheville is not physically segregated, but mentally segregated," he said. "It's something I want to break." Born in Asheville's Klondyke public housing complex in Montford, he moved to the Hillcrest complex near downtown. The family moved back to Montford, and then West Asheville. He attended Asheville High School. His time in Montford, however, has a strong hold on him. "It always creeps up in my dreams," he said of that area. "I've always thought I was going to do something there to give back." Now, he says, he can because of professional success in Atlanta. He is in the planning stages, and is looking for people want to participate. He asks for interested people to give him a call at 404-644-1912. To learn more about Miya Bailey, or see some of his work, visit www.miyabailey.com.

http://archive.citizen-times.com/article/20140317/NEWS01/303170035/Atlanta-artist-launch-new-Montford-festival

Check this out!

Gritty is still an operative description for West Asheville, N.C., a section of this city where pawn shops, tattoo parlors and auto repair shops have reigned. But as Ashevillians move to this side of the French Broad River to escape [...]

reposted from Asheville Citizen Times

Duke Energy to donate property.

ASHEVILLE -- Duke Energy plans to donate 48 acres along the western banks of the French Broad River to the city for eventual use as a greenway. The steeply sloping property runs between Haywood Road and French Broad River Park off Amboy Road. A greenway path is still [...]