"Asheville's de facto motto was: 'That will never work here - don't even try.'"

Where have I heard that one before?

Asheville Just 'Happened' to Develop a Nice Downtown—Or Did It?, by James Fallows (The Atlantic)

In the immortal words from Liberty Valance, "when the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Herewith the legend and reality of Asheville.

... Now the expected further shoe has dropped, with readers from Asheville writing in to say: We drifted our way into success? Hah! Some "drift!"

Here is a sample, from J. Patrick Whalen, who has lived in Asheville since the mid-1970s. I'm quoting him at length because the issues he mentions connect the stories we've heard in every corner of the country. I'm also including some of the photos Mr. Whalen sent, of Asheville before-and-after its recent renaissance.