Asheville is a city located in Buncombe County, North Carolina, and is its county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 68,889.

It is the largest city in western North Carolina, and continues to grow - as of 2004, the Census Bureau estimates that Asheville's population is 70,400. Attractive to hip and creative young people as well as to hip and creative retirees, Asheville has been listed in both Rolling Stone and Modern Maturity as an ideal place to live or visit.

The open and accepting character of the city is evidenced by the many lifestyles and beliefs that coexist peacefully there. The art scene is especially active, and Asheville has become a mecca for potters, painters and musicians, with much of the current creativity inspired by the folk art and old ballads of early Scottish, English and Scots-Irish settlers.

 Asheville is located at the confluence of the Swannanoa River and the French Broad River. The French Broad continues northwest through the Appalachian Mountains to Knoxville in Tennessee. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville's weather resembles the weather of the rest of the southeastern U.S., but with somewhat cooler temperatures due to the higher altitude. In winter, temperatures may fall into the teens, and Asheville almost always receives snow and freezing rain a few times each year. The city is best known for the lavish Biltmore Estate, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.