Best Web Design in Asheville, NC (2026)

Web Design for Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a mountain city in the Blue Ridge of western North Carolina, famous for George Vanderbilt's colossal Biltmore Estate, a downtown packed with 1920s Art Deco architecture, and one of the highest concentrations of craft breweries in the nation. Long a haven for artists, buskers and craftspeople, it draws millions of visitors a year to its River Arts District, mountain scenery and food scene. In September 2024 the city was devastated by catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene, which wrecked its water system and riverside neighborhoods.

AppWT works with Asheville, NC businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Asheville

Also known as. Land of the Sky. Beer City USA. Paris of the South. AVL.

History. The land was Cherokee territory; their name for the site, Tokiyasdi/Untokiasdiyi, means 'where they race.' Settled as 'Morristown' around 1793, it was incorporated in 1797 and renamed for North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe. The arrival of the railroad on October 3, 1880, ended the isolated frontier era and triggered a tourism and building boom. George W. Vanderbilt bought roughly 125,000 acres in the 1880s and built the Biltmore, the largest privately owned house in the United States, opened in 1895. Rather than default on about $56 million in Depression-era debt, the city and county paid it off over some 50 years, leaving 1920s downtown buildings frozen in place and preserving the Art Deco skyline.

Local economy. Tourism accounts for roughly a quarter of the metro-area economy. Largest employers include Mission Health System, Buncombe County Schools, Ingles Markets (headquartered nearby) and the Biltmore Company, each with thousands of workers. Moog Music, maker of the Moog synthesizer, is headquartered in Asheville. Sierra Nevada and New Belgium operate major East Coast brewing facilities in the area, anchoring the craft-beer sector. HomeTrust Bancshares is based in the region, alongside significant health care, education and creative/arts industries.

Culture and community. Asheville was voted 'Beer City USA' and has one of the highest numbers of breweries per capita in the country. Restaurants Chai Pani and Curate have won James Beard Awards, and the city styles itself a leading Southern food destination. A Friday-night drum circle in Pritchard Park and street buskers throughout downtown are longstanding traditions. The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, founded in 1928, is often called the first event ever billed as a 'folk festival'; Shindig on the Green offers free summer bluegrass. Musician Warren Haynes hosts the annual Christmas Jam charity concert, and the LEAF festival celebrates roots music and arts.

What makes Asheville distinct. Asheville has one of the most comprehensive collections of Art Deco architecture in the U.S., reportedly second only to Miami Beach. F. Scott Fitzgerald spent long stretches at the Grove Park Inn in the mid-1930s while his wife Zelda was treated at a local hospital. Asheville ran North Carolina's first electric streetcar system, starting in 1889. Hurricane Helene in September 2024 caused record French Broad and Swannanoa river flooding that catastrophically damaged the municipal water system and cut interstate access.

Asheville is the largest city in western North Carolina, a Blue Ridge Mountain hub known for its arts scene, historic architecture, and tourism anchored by the Biltmore Estate.

Asheville Landmarks and Local Life

• Biltmore Estate - The largest privately owned house in the United States
• Grove Park Inn - Historic resort hotel on Sunset Mountain overlooking the city
• Basilica of St. Lawrence - Historic Catholic basilica known for its large self-supporting tile dome
• Blue Ridge Parkway - Scenic national parkway that runs along the edge of the city
• The North Carolina Arboretum - Public garden and research arboretum near the Blue Ridge Parkway

Asheville at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $67,221
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 52%
• Housing: About 50.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied
• Housing: Roughly 57% of housing units are single-family detached homes