Asheville, North Carolina Facts & Statistics
Downtown Asheville
Officially Established in 1883, Asheville, North Carolina has grown from a small pioneering town into a flourishing metropolis known for its love of the arts and passion for the great outdoors. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Buncombe County, Asheville enjoys a mild climate year-round, which, coupled with its beautiful natural surroundings, has made it one of the Southeast's most popular destinations.
Asheville Climate & Geography
Median Yearly Temperature 55.6° F
Median High Temperature in July 72.8° F
Median Low Temperature in January 35.7° F
Median Yearly Rainfall, inches 47.07"
Median Yearly Snowfall, inches 13.3"
Average Elevation 2,165 ft.
Asheville [City] Area 41.3 miles2
Buncombe County Area 655 miles2
Location Coordinates 35° 34'48" North, 82° 33'21" West
Average House Costs $278,551
Avg. Apartment Rental Rate (2 bed, 1-2 ba): $830
Asheville, NC Demographics
source: US Census Bureau
Asheville [City] Population (2008) 73,034
Median Household Income (2008) $39,907
Buncombe County Population (2006) 222,174
Gender Dispersion 46.8% Male, 53.2% Female
Average Age 39.2 years
White persons (2000) 78%
Black or African American persons (2000) 17.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons (2000) 0.4%
Asian persons (2000) 0.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (2000) 0.1%
Persons reporting some other race (2000) 1.5%
Persons reporting two or more races (2000) 1.6%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin (2000) 3.8%
Asheville, NC Crime Rates
source: FBI Crime in the United States (2003 publication)
City of Asheville Rate per 100,000 inhabitants
Violent crime (2008) 505 257.1
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter 2 3.6
Forcible rape 16 20.3
Robbery 229 81.8
Aggravated assault 187 151.4
Property crime 5,266 3,268.3
Burglary 991 860.3
Larceny-theft 3,642 2,085.7
Motor vehicle theft 633 322.3
Asheville, NC Accolades
2009
Ranked #2 as One of the Nation's Top Arts Destinations - AmericanStyle Magazine
Ranked #6 Best Metro Places for Business & Careers - Forbes.com, March 2009
Included in 21 Best U.S. Towns for Baby Boomers' Active Retirement - bestboomertowns.com
2008
11 of 20 Best Places to Retire - Black Enterprise magazine, October 2008
7 of Top 10 Best Midsize Cities for Doing Business - Inc.com, July 2008
46 of 200 Best Performing Large Cities, 2nd Biggest Single-Year Gainer - Milken Institute, September 2008
2 of the Top 25 Small-City Art Destinations for 2008 - AmericanStyle magazine, June Issue 2008
26 of 200 Large Metros Best Places for Business & Careers - Forbes, March 2008
41 of 100 Best Places to Live and Launch - CNN Money.com, March 2008
2007
5-Star Business Opportunity - Metro Expansion Management, August 2007
Best Southern Town - Outside magazine's August edition 2007
7 of Top U.S. Cities to live - Frommer's Cities Ranked & Rated 2nd Edition, May 2007
23 of 200 Large Metros Best Places for Business & Careers - Forbes, April 2007
1 of the top 100 places to live in 2007 Relocate - America, April 2007
2 of Top 10 easy spring weekend getaways - MSNBC, April 2007
3 of the Top 10 up-and-coming travel destinations - VirtualTourist, Spring 2007
1 of 10 America's Best Eco-Neighborhoods - Natural Home, January/February 2007
If you're coming to visit Asheville, check out our Places to Stay section. If you're moving here, check out our Real Estate section.
Asheville Area Government
Asheville City Council in session
Asheville City Government
Asheville City Council - web-site
Mayor: Terry M. BellamyVice Mayor: Jan DavisCouncilmember: Robin CapeCouncilmember: Brownie NewmanCouncilmember: Carl MumpowerCouncilmember: Bill RussellCouncilmember: Kelly Miller
Buncombe County Commissioners - web-site
Chairman: David GanttVice Chairman: Bill StanleyCommissioner: K. Ray BaileyCommissioner: Carol PetersonCommissioner: Holly Jones
NC House and Senate Members:
Representative: Susan Fisher - web-site Senator: Martin Nesbitt - web-site US House Member: Congressman Heath Shuler - web-site
