Asheville, Buncombe better place to visit than live, and other resident survey results

Joel Burgess, Asheville Citizen Times
·4 min read
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Asheville community members rallied for affordable housing before entering the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority meeting May 31, 2023.
Asheville community members rallied for affordable housing before entering the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority meeting May 31, 2023.

ASHEVILLE - Buncombe County is an excellent place to visit, a good place to live and a poor place to find affordable housing or earn a living wage, according to the most recent survey of residents commissioned by county leaders.

Respondents also felt excellent about their neighborhoods' safety during the day, and good or excellent about neighborhood safety at night, according to the January and February survey by ETC Institute of Kansas that used mailed in and online surveys from 511 randomly selected households throughout the county, including Asheville and other municipalities. Residents generally felt good about overall safety in the county, though not as good as in their communities.

The major findings of the survey were presented and discussed with the county Board of Commissioners at their April 23 budget work session.

In terms of a place to visit, 85% of residents who had an opinion rated the county “excellent” or “good." That was down less than a point from a 2021 ETC survey for the county. But it was still far above the 58% national average, said Burnett Walz, management analyst with the county Strategy and Innovation Team.

"Not surprisingly, as a place to visit, when you compare it to results from a national and regional perspective, we're 20 points above the baseline," Walz said of the popularity of the area, where tourism officials projected nearly $700 million in hotel and Airbnb sales from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.

Sixty percent indicated the county was an “excellent” or “good” place to live, down more than five points from 2021, but still far above the national average of 49%.

The areas in which the county ranked the lowest include a place where affordable housing can be found, at 4%, and a place where you could earn a living wage, at 14%. Both were down one percentage point from 2021. The survey did not give national benchmarks for those questions.

The Asheville area has been shown to have the most expensive cost of living in the state, while wages are below the national average.

Feel safe?

Eighty-eight percent of those surveyed and who had an opinion felt safe when alone in their neighborhood during the day; 72% felt safe when alone in their neighborhood at night; and 57% felt safe overall in the county.

Residents felt safer in their neighborhoods compared to 2021 during the day − up two points − and night − up three points. But in terms of overall perception of the county, they felt less safe − down two points.

Likewise, residents' perceptions of neighborhood safety were much higher than the national average − seven points higher in the day and 11 at night. But feelings of overall safety in the county were nine points below the nation as a whole.

The responses came as crime dropped throughout unincorporated areas of the county and in Asheville.

What changes should happen?

Respondents were asked about the level of importance of future county priorities. Of those who had an opinion, 90% said providing equitable access to quality healthcare is “very important” or important.

Other priorities that respondents indicated were “very important" or “important” included: providing equitable access to quality mental healthcare − 89%; addressing homelessness − 88%; increasing public safety − 87%; increasing conservation of farms and environmentally sensitive lands − 84%; reducing substance use disorder − 84%; providing equitable access to housing − 81%; and addressing gun violence − 75%.

"Based on the sum of their top four choices, the future priorities for the county that respondents think should be emphasized over the next two years are: providing equitable access to housing, addressing homelessness, providing equitable access to quality healthcare and addressing gun violence," the analysis by ETC said.

Good place to visit, live work?

Here are some of the results of the January and February survey of Buncombe County residents.

  • 85% - excellent or good place to visit (national average: 58%)

  • 60% - excellent or good place to live (national average: 49%)

  • 53% - excellent or good place to raise children (national average: 61%)

  • 45% - excellent or good as a place you feel welcome regardless of race/ethnicity (national average: 46%)

  • 33% - excellent or good as a place to work (national average: 57%)

  • 57% - excellent or good overall feeling of safety in the county (national average: 66%)

  • 88% - excellent or good feeling of safety when alone in your neighborhood during the day (national average: 81%)

  • 72% - excellent or good feeling of safety when alone in your neighborhood at night (national average: 61%)

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Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times. 

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville area better to visit than live, and other survey results