I AGREE COMPLETELY!!!! It took me years of living here to find a job that was at least agreeable, working for people that treat me like a valuable person as opposed to an easily replaceable cog. Up until that point I was stuck with many low-paying jobs doing things I was incredibly overqualified for. There are so many people here looking for work that if you won't take 6.50 an hour to do something you were paid 10.50 and hour to do in Connecticut (where I moved from), then there are 12 people in line who will because we can't find anything else to do. The other major issue here with jobs is that Asheville's economy is so dependent on tourism. Most jobs are in retail and service industry, in order to accommodate the immense amout of visitors Asheville receives every summer. This also means that winters here are HARD. Even if you have a job, your hours may drastically be cut. If you work as a server, you will see many a dead night and very little tips.

With that said, there is many a person here who makes by finding their own way...either by inventing good services needed by locals (my housemate does well working for herself doing child care, cleaning, and organizational assistance), or by running business which cater to the summer crowd (like selling arts & crafts, busking, etc). I also know a lot of people who leave for the winter in order to find work in other places, and then come back for the summer.

So, it can be done. Just be prepared to possibly be looking for a long time. And, as taz said, you better damn well have something good to offer....especially if we're gonna be neighbors.