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National Geographic Adventure Names Asheville a “Best Adventure Town”

National Geographic Adventure magazine included Asheville, NC, in its top 100 “Adventure Towns” list. This is no surprise for local residents, as they are accustomed to the hiking trails, water sports and state and national parks at their fingertips. Other criteria for the selection include the selection of fine restaurants and places to stay in the area. Click here to read more.

U.S. News & World Report: Asheville, NC, a “Best Affordable Place to Retire”

For many soon-to-be retirees, the recent economic conditions have caused revisions in their retirement plans. U.S. News & World Report compiled a list of locales that are appealing to new retirees, with factors such as great entertainment, cultural opportunities, and most importantly, low cost of living. Asheville was touted for its beautiful surroundings, free or low-cost entertainment opportunities, affordable options for local/organic food and much more. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

US Airways Magazine Lauds Asheville, NC

Asheville, NC, was recently profiled by US Airways magazine, adding to the list of major publications heaping praise on the western North Carolina city. More and more people are realizing what makes Asheville so great – the vibrant arts scene, laid-back personality, great views, broad array of farm-to-table restaurants and so much more. One visit, and you are sure to agree.
Here’s an excerpt from the US Airways article. To see it in its entirety, click here.

“When you get right down to it, friendliness is what Asheville is all about. Strangers will strike up a conversation, cars will stop patiently for pedestrians. The grind that infects other cities seems to dissipate in the mountain air. Asheville, dubbed Eden Land by its early Scots-Irish settlers – the paradise once lost – has found itself fully and wholly again.”

Asheville Named a Top Undiscovered City for Local Food

HuffPost Green, the section of The Huffington Post dedicated to “green” content, recently acknowledged Asheville, NC, as one of the Top Ten Undiscovered Cities for Local Food.” Dubbed the “Foodtopian Society” for its city-wide commitment to the farm-to-table movement, Asheville boasts a cornucopia of local cuisine at its 135 independent restaurants. The city also has 17 active farmers’ markets, 11 annual food festivals and seven locally owned microbreweries.

The HuffPost Green feature was inspired by the response to a previous article outlining the top 10 U.S. cities for local food. The editors decided to profile the readers’ choices, many of which branch out from the major cities to highlight towns that aren’t on your radar – but should be.

Student Documentary Highlights Ciĕl as a Sustainable Development

Sustainable energy has been declared a key initiative of the European Union by the Czech Republic, the current holder of the E.U. presidency. With this focus, the E.U. solicited assistance from the United States Department of State in identifying and highlighting the most innovative sustainable projects in the U.S. Ciĕl was honored to be selected as a potential featured project, as only a few projects were chosen.

Rich Beckman, the Knight Chair of Visual Journalism at the University of Miami, worked with journalism students to create a documentary that highlights Ciĕl.

High Praise for Asheville on ABC’s Good Morning America

The national recognition for Asheville continues. The city was recently featured on ABC’s Good Morning America in its “Weekend Window” segment, which profiles unique destinations across the country. Asheville is touted for its vibrant arts and music scenes and the historic Biltmore Estate – the largest home in America.
Click here to see the video.

Asheville Makes 2009 List of Dog-Friendliest Regions

Asheville and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains have long been considered a desirable destination for man… and man’s best friend. The popular Web site DogFriendly.com has named the region to its annual Top 10 list of dog-friendly cities/regions.
Click here to read more.

The rankings are determined by the DogFriendly.com staff and take into account the quality of dog-friendly accommodations and activities for you and your dog including beaches, parks and dog-friendly patio dining. DogFriendly.com publishes world-wide pet travel guides and has previously been named a Forbes “Best of the Web” site.

Asheville Makes Forbes’ List of Best Places for Business

In Forbes’ 11th annual list of Best Places for Business, Asheville placed sixth. North Carolina was a clear-cut winner, with six cities in the top 20.
The rankings evaluate the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the country. Forbes examined each city on 11 different criteria, including job growth in the past five years and projections through 2011, business and living cost data, income growth, migration trends, labor supply and quality of life information. Data on college attainment, crime rates, local colleges, and cultural and recreational opportunities in the area was also furnished. For more information about how Asheville stacks up, click here.

Asheville Places 2^nd in AmericanStyle’s list of Top 25 Art Destinations

Revealed in AmericanStyle’s June 2009 issue, Asheville placed second in the magazine’s list of Top 25 art destinations in the nation (in the small city category). Cities across the nation vied for top-ranking in the 12^th annual poll, which is voted on by AmericanStyle readers.

In the article, Asheville is noted as a “perennial favorite” with everything … “gourmet restaurants, award-winning accommodations and an arts scene that dates to the turn of the century.” Readers described the city as “the Paris of the South” and “bursting at the seams with artists.”

Treehugger.com Names Asheville to its list of Greenest Cities

Announced on Earth Day 2009, Asheville placed ninth on Treehugger.com’s list of the nation’s 10 “Greenest Cities”. One of the smallest cities on the list, Asheville keeps company with some notable green cities including Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore.

Asheville made the list for its green communities like Ciĕl, its robust schedule of Earth Day activities and the fact that it is surrounded by nature.
Treehugger.com is a subsidiary of the Discovery Channel, and it covers environmental and modern design news, as well as architecture, products, transportation and fashion.