Pisgah Forest and Brevard Focus:
Largest draw to the area is the White Squirrel Festival and Pisgah National Forest with other festivals scheduled dead in the heat of the summer.
Small town Feel: You will know everyone if your kid is in school. Yes, long-timers will make it known that they do not like "outsiders" but only on social media. Most people are friendly. Many family-friendly activities. The library runs events/activities for kids. There are two skate parks, a kids-based ninja park, a community recreation center (mainly for sports), a few dance schools, community sports (kids), art classes, etc., Brevard Music Center, small farmers market on Saturdays, PARI. This is not a college town and really is not geared to this demographic. Town management is trying to improve and grow the area, however, some of the plans are seemingly misguided and are more focused on bringing in money as opposed to focusing on the residents and those needs. While improvements do bring in new residents and taxes, etc. it seems as though the current needs are on the back burner.
Downtown Brevard: This is a hilly area so the elderly may have issues with walking around - there are benches. Parking can be difficult. It is small and filled with stores that rely heavily on tourism dollars and would do better to permanently close off the area creating a walkable, paved area and re-routing traffic around this section to increase foot traffic. The emergency department is downtown. It gets very loud with the emergency sirens, motorcycles, truck engines from semis (including logging). Keep this in mind when deciding where to live.
Pisgah Forest - Gun use (all kinds) on personal property is legal - as in you think you are in a normal neighborhood and 30 feet away your neighbor can target practice. Other considerations - crowing roosters and whatever you like.
Private Roads: Lots of them and if an accident happens on one, you seemingly have no recourse.
Apartment and Home Rentals: Even within normal economic times it is very difficult to find a place to rent - average recorded rental rates on the internet are patently wrong, double anything you see. Make sure you do a sex offender search.
Apartment Complexes: Broad River Terrace (income restricted), Mountain Glen Apartments (1 bed/1 bath), Morgan Manor (multiple buildings owned by different owners - difficult to locate a management company), Laurel Villages (persons with disabilities and low income), Cedar Hill Apartments (small and located against the hospital), Collwell Drive Commons (next to a busy road, and against a gas station). We used a local real-estate company who took our money, had one property available, and then told us that they had to give the property to the other applicant "because they had applied a long a while ago..."
Real Estate: The average home was built somewhere from 1910-1970s. New homes are rare and those that have been built are higher in the hills and exorbitantly expensive. There is an excessive amount of Airbnb and Vrbos in the area, to the detriment of residents. When purchasing land "the steeper, the cheaper." Can you afford to pump water uphill? Mobile/manufactured homes are not unusual.
Super Fund site: Former Ecusta Paper Mill site close to forest. Developers are trying to build homes and businesses on the outer edge...
Summers: Large increase in tourism and camp kids whose peak entertainment is being loud inside Walmart and Ingles
Road Quality: The state will not pave the main highway through town (the most used road in the area); therefore cracks, faded lines, potholes, especially in front of the Food Lion plaza. However, millions were spent an unnecessary round about. There is a deathtrap intersection coming off of S Broad Street, S Caldwell St, and 64.
Schools: Pisgah Forest (title one), Brevard Elementary, Brevard Middle School and Brevard High School, Davidson River School (troubled students), Mountain Sun School (private with outdoor learning aspect), numerous private religious schools, Brevard College, Transylvania Community College. Can choose where your child attends school in NC, so you are not stuck to a district.
Daycare: Pisgah Collective (expensive outdoor daycare that is affected by weather for closures), Nanna's and Mommy's, etc.
Flooding: Is a prevalent issue in this rainforest-type area.
Pools: Two public in Franklin Park and Rosman.
Community Garden: In a neighborhood near Caldwell - homeless encampment is also there.
Water: Is highly chlorinated.
Library - Well stocked, neat and clean, semi-annual books sale event, bookstore upstairs. Check out of puzzles and activities available.
Grocery stores: Grocers Outlet (scratch-n-dent/discontinued food), Food Matters (organics/wellness), Aldi, Ingles (higher prices), Food Lion, Sav-More (part of Ingles, not really cheaper)
Restaurants: There are no chain sit-down restaurants here, plenty of fast food.
Rosman is more of a lower income area. read more
