Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina, grew from humble beginnings as a hamlet for local livestock handlers to become one of the most culturally and artistically diverse cities in the South. The city experienced a quick rise to prosperity in the late 19th century under the influence of wealthy benefactors including George W. Vanderbilt and E.W. Grove. A devastating downturn during the Great Depression was followed by slow economic revitalization up until the late 1970s. In the 1990s, however Asheville entered boom time, a period that reestablished the city as a popular retreat for tourists, artists, and retirees.

Here in this book is all the fascinating history of Asheville, complete with a rich array of photographs. Multiple appendices reveal details concerning many lesser-known aspects of Asheville's unique history, including city buildings designed by architects Richard Sharp Smith and Douglas D. Ellington, and city projects funded by philanthropist Julian Price.

“"addictive, fascinating, solidly researched, comprehensible organized, and very, very difficult to leave behind before you've finished it"-- Carolina Mountain Life ; "essential...impressive...remarkably comprehensive text"-- WNC Magazine ; "comprehensive...insightful"-- Western North Carolina Heritage ; "the first comprehensive, illustrated history of the city in a generation"-- ASJA:Member News ; "fascinating"-- Greensboro Libraries ; "Chase punctuates her history with detail, anecdote, quotes, contemporary newspaper accounts...loads of photos...make this book the best kind of history"-- High Country Press.”

“addictive, fascinating, solidly researched, comprehensible organized, and very, very difficult to leave behind before you’ve finished it”—Carolina Mountain Life; “essential...impressive...remarkably comprehensive text”—WNC Magazine; “comprehensive...insightful”—Western North Carolina Heritage; “the first comprehensive, illustrated history of the city in a generation”—ASJA:Member News; “fascinating”—Greensboro Libraries; “Chase punctuates her history with detail, anecdote, quotes, contemporary newspaper accounts...loads of photos...make this book the best kind of history”—High Country Press.

Freelance writer Nan K. Chase lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian, Our State and Southern Living among others.

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