I have lived in Winston Salem for 16 years. My wife and I have no children, and we love it here. We are not far from the mountains or the beach. It's a good place to live for the most part. Asheville is not a location to be in as far as settling down goes. It used to be a nice place. Maybe it still is in some places, but the drug culture there makes national news every now and then. Don't get me wrong. Stuff like that is everywhere, and I am not throwing off against Asheville. I wanted to move there 10 years ago. Go figure! In my opinion the suburbs and small cities of Charlotte or Durham have the most opportunity. This is just my opinion only. Hope it helps!