About Asheville - Pollinate Real Estate | Asheville Area & Western North Carolina Realtor

A Place Where Ideas Bloom

For a city of less than 100,000, the area lives larger. It feels like it has more James Beard Chefs, artists, innovation per capita than any other area. Western NC has a rich history nurturing businesses: from the world’s largest blanket manufacturer — at the turn of the 19th century — to a sole proprietor permaculture expert to a paddle board manufacturer. Asheville’s a place where creativity is cultivated and rewarded, where ideas can become realities.

These mountains hold memories of music, and continue to cultivate connection through music. Music festivals in these mountains cater to ballad singers and old time pickers as well as pop and indie music pioneers. From theater, symphony and opera, to professional contemporary dance companies, James Beard Chefs and visual artists working in many media, the Asheville area scratches that artistic itch.

Brewers, outdoor industry enthusiasts, climate scientists, holistic practitioners, manufacturers, designers, builders, makers and collaborators all find Western NC to be a supportive hive of innovation and support.

Tell me more about this nurturing Hive

Fertile Valleys & Riverbeds

The Appalachian mountains are some of the oldest in the world.

Some even say you can feel the lifetimes of magic in the mountains and under ground in this area. While not officially designated as a temperate rainforest due to the inconsistency of the level of rainfall over the course of years, the Asheville area and Western NC are home to both the most wet and arid areas in the state.

Because of the topography and climate, we have some beautiful areas for growing, raising and processing food, as well as a vibrant homesteading mindset.

With support from Asheville-Buncombe Community College, Blue Ridge Food Ventures supports food-based businesses through collaborative commercial kitchen use, safety training, marketing and business planning, and more. In these mountains, you can grow and raise your food and then take it to market with guidance and support.

Asheville: Vibrant, Handmade & Homegrown

Asheville is the county seat in Buncombe County. Home to more than half of Western NC’s population, Buncombe County

Savor Award-Winning Food & Beverages

Here are just a few old favorites in Buncombe County

- Limones and Chai Pani, Asheville
- Wedge Brewing and Little Jumbo, Asheville
- Copper Crown and Dobra Tea, East Asheville
- Good Company Pizza and Loott House, Swannanoa
- Pure & Proper and Goldfinch, Black Mountain
- Local Joint and Curated Cocktails with Mountain Madre, Fairview
- Auction House and Blue Sky Cafe, Fletcher

Grow with the Farming Community

Organic Growers School
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)
Gribley Permaculture
Wild Abundance
Farm Heritage Trail

Experience Music, Visual & Performing Arts

Hiding out in these mountains you’ll find Grammy and Oscar award winners, buskers, and the next generation of aspiring artists. Asheville weaves a web of belonging for creatives. With myriad arts venues, education centers, and studios, Asheville is home for makers.

Move in our Outdoor Mecca

For an urban location, Asheville has easy access to hike the Appalachian Tail or the Smokies. Drive, bike, hike or run the Blue Ridge Parkway. Some of the best mountain biking and kayaking in the country is in the Asheville area. Climb, camp, paddle board, run, walk through and over these mountains.

Made by Mountains will help you find ideas for movement in these mountains.

Summer camps and retreats are one of the area’s largest industries, expanding across Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Madison and Transylvania Counties. Innovative entrepreneurs make magic for area kids and adults with camps and retreats that are built upon the beauty and diversity of the area’s ecosystem and tap into the expertise of amazing resident experts willing to share their skills with the next generation.

Camps with experiences in: climbing, mountain biking, black smithing, horseback riding, ceramics, foraging, orienteering, cooking, fermenting, yoga, pilates, meditation, photography… you get the picture.