(This blog post is incredibly USA-centric. If you’re not American you’re welcome to read, but it may be geographically less accessible.)
Every time I travel back to North Carolina I feel strangely as if I’m returning home from a long journey. Although I think a lot of people know me as “that guy that lives in Tennessee”, I have just as many roots in North Carolina. I was born in Boone, which is a town I still absolutely adore. All of my family from my mother’s side is from Old Beech Mountain, and I spent the first twelve years of my life there (not to mention summers in college, and a few years after). Other than college, all of my education happened in North Carolina.
And then of course, I had both of my kidney transplants in North Carolina, and spent weeks and months after each recuperating and attending medical appointments.
I may live in Tennessee, but my soul feels happier when it’s in North Carolina. And most specifically, the mountains there, near Boone or Asheville.
Don’t get me wrong, Tennessee has its pluses and minuses. Compared to most other states in the U.S., it’s super cheap to live here. Although the sales tax is relatively high at ten percent, there is no income tax on wages or salary. And overall, at least in my area, the cost of living is low. Probably because there’s nothing to do and very little to see.
The culture of Tenneessee leaves a lot to be desired, at least in East Tennessee where I’m from. This is a very conservative, MAGA-filled area. The people here are smart, but they are not as educated as perhaps they could be. There are not a ton of opportunities for growth, professionally or otherwise. That’s not to say that North Carolina is a progressive or liberal haven. Indeed, many parts (especially the mountainous ones I long for the most) are just as conservative as Tennessee, if not more so.
The vibe of Asheville in particular is where I feel I fit in the most. I’ve heard it referred to as “hip-neck” (hippy rednecks), and I think that describes me to a fair degree. I want everyone to look out for their neighbors. To love each other. To want the same rights for everyone, and treat all people with respect and dignity. But there’s also a stubbornness that’s built into me, and (for good or ill) a nature of longing for solitude and self-reliance as much as possible. There’s a resourcefulness to the people in and around Asheville, paired with a relaxed and good-natured spirit, that calls to me.
When I cross the mountain into Sam’s Gap on my way back to North Carolina, I look over the Blue Ridge Mountains and smile. When I’m not there, even if just subconsciously, there’s a part of my heart that misses it. I, too, am gone to Carolina in my mind.