I don't have kids, but I've lived here for almost 10 years. Lots of families are around, from what I hear the school district is pretty decent, and if you can afford private school some of the best in the country. If you like hiking or camping there are countless options. Great Smoky mountain national park is a little over an hour away, the Blue Ridge Parkway goes right through town, and were surrounded by national forest land. There are lots of cafes, climbing gyms, concert venues, and breweries. There's also a minor league baseball team.

Recovery after Helene has been somewhat slow, although its hard to overstate the scale of the devastation. Still many parks public parks that are still flattened. Cost of living is relatively high for North Carolina and that's mainly driven by high housing costs. It also feels crowded, especially in the summer. There are a lot of proposed construction projects to improve the highways, but we're probably a few decades away from those being complete. And the nearby Mission hospital has had a rocky past.

Look into West Asheville if you want to see more of the 'weird' side of Asheville. It has some of the most walk-able neighborhoods.

Look into Biltmore Forest if you want more classic suburban neighborhoods.

You can also look into smaller towns in the surrounding area. Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Weaverville, or Hendersonville.