Asheville, North Carolina: Birthplace of Author Thomas Wolfe

Asheville, nicknamed Land of the Sky, is a city in North Carolina, United States, located within Buncombe County in the Blue Ridge Mountains and 130 miles northwest of Charlotte. It serves as the county seat. It was settled by European Americans in the 18th century, incorporated in 1797, and named after Samuel Ashe, the ninth governor of North Carolina. The city is situated at the junction of the French Broad River and the Swannanoa River. The area was originally inhabited by the Cherokee before the Europeans came. Asheville is served by many major highways, including Interstates 26, 40,  and 240, and U.S. Routes 19, 23, 25, 25A, 70, and 74. Asheville Regional Airport also serves the area.

The city has many historic buildings, such as the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Biltmore Estate, the Grove Park Inn, and the Asheville City Hall. It hosts numerous events and festivals, including the annual Bele Chere and the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam. The city is home to the Asheville Lyric Opera, the Asheville Jazz Orchestra, and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra. There are several universities and colleges in the city, including the University of North Carolina at Asheville and Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College.

TOP ATTRACTIONS IN ASHEVILLE
- S & W Cafeteria, situated in the Downtown Asheville Historic District, is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1929 and designed by Douglas Ellington in the Art Deco style.

- The Montford Area Historic District was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 25, 1977.

- Asheville is home to the Grove Arcade, one of the first indoor shopping malls in the United States. It is also known as the Arcade Building and is located in the Downtown Asheville Historic District. It was built between 1926 and 1929 in the Late Gothic Revival and Tudor Revival style. It has also been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places since May 19, 1976.

- Biltmore Estate is one of the major tourist attractions in Asheville. It is a Gilded Age mansion and a house museum known as the United States' largest privately owned house. It was built between 1889 and 1895, designed by Richard Morris Hunt (house) and Frederick Law Olmsted (landscape). It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

- Other tourist attractions in Asheville are the Asheville Art Museum, Asheville Pinball Museum, Harrah's Cherokee Center, Pack Square Park, Richmond Hill Park, the River Arts District, Asheville Botanical Garden, the North Carolina Arboretum, the Orange Peel, and the Thomas Wolfe House.