and a real nice arts scene. Check it out - there's the 3 Rivers Artfest - right by the 3 rivers, and the downtown crowd and the , hmmm, forget what they call it, but there are blocks and blocks of old riverfront buildings where there is a lot going on. Like a wharf.
I was in Savannah and absolutely fell in love with it, again, the river walk and old buildings turned into shops, etc.
I heard the same thing about Asheville - that it was an east coast Boulder. But then I met some fellas at a draft horse auction here in Ohio from that area, and they said what the above poster said - that all the good land, etc., was taken over by money. And you know how creative that crowd is.
But I'd bet down in that neck of Appalachia there's pockets of artists. I know there's an artist's 'drive', whereby everybody is on the path. There's also an Appalachian Arts community. It stretches from down in NC up to PA & parts of southern OH. There are some of the most talented and coolest people you'd want to meet. I'd google that and see what all comes up. This might sound bad, but alot of those people are so poor, it's probably going to be bohemian for some time.
Good luck.
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