Downtown Asheville is a mixed bag of artists, tattooed grunge skateboarders, mountain music makers, longtime locals, and a visible quotient of gay business owners. For its size, this town of about 72,000 probably has the biggest gay and lesbian scene in the nation, according to John Cram, who owns three local galleries and an art movie house. Cram, who lives just outside of town with his partner, Matt Chambers, is a leader in Asheville's downtown renaissance. Like so many of the town's gay residents, he didn't plan to settle here, but the combination of gorgeous surroundings, economic opportunity, and progressive views proved hard to resist.
''Asheville is a tolerant place. There's a tradition among the mountain people to live and let live," said Cram, a Northerner who arrived in town more than 30 years ago with $500 to his name. Now he is thinking about running for city commissioner. ''The various segments of our population don't always agree, but we get along," he said.
The Dining Out for Life program, which draws on donations from restaurants in cities across North America to raise money for AIDS organizations, collected $77,000 in Asheville last year, its third year in operation there. ''It sounds cliché, but the people are so nice here," said the program's director, Harry Brown, a seasoned Atlanta fund-raiser who moved to Asheville five years ago. ''It's a very giving city."
Downtown, known for its well-preserved Art Deco architecture and lively arts scene, offers an array of coffeehouses, restaurants, galleries, and shops. Head out of town and the area is rich with rafting, mountain biking, and hiking opportunities. Figure in the many gay-owned bed-and-breakfasts and Asheville is about as gay-friendly a destination as you will find. No wonder Out magazine ranked it the hottest small US town in which to be gay.
Here are 10 reasons to visit Asheville:
Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe. This lesbian-owned gem of an indie bookstore and cafe is a congenial gay hangout.
