Downtown Asheville as it looks today
On Nov. 20, 1930 the Central Bank and Trust Company closed its doors. Financial ruin fell upon the city. Asheville retained the highest per capita debt of any city in the country. While many cities chose to default on their loan Asheville city swore to pay back every cent which it finally did in 1977.
Asheville’s recovery from the Depression was slow and arduous. Because of the financial stagnation there were no new buildings and the downtown district remained unaltered. This however has allowed Asheville to be a great collection of Art Deco and truly a style all its own.
One of Asheville’s greatest appeals is the Blue Ridge Parkway one of the most beautiful drives one can take in Western Carolina with endless miles of hiking. Contracted under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky National Park were constructed.
Asheville’s surrounding beauty has inspired artists, writers and musicians. Asheville’s rich culture in the arts brings tourists from all over. Asheville still expresses its exuberance and charm from its booming years yet also holds a strength and humility in its endurance of hard slow times. The locally owned shops, galleries and restaurants downtown are as eclectic as Asheville’s people.
