#Asked
We all know most celebrities don’t do their own stunts – they have doppelgänger “stunt doubles” who stand in for them. And the same goes for a lot of city locations where movies “take place.”
So, what if Asheville needed a “stand-in?” Who would be our doppelgänger city?
Maybe a place with a similar landscape (love those Blue Ridge Mountains) or one with downtown streets that resemble ours. Who has a similarly vibrant arts scene, or a major liberal arts university right in town? (Keep climbing, Bulldogs.) Or an iconic river that’s also a major attraction for floaters + boaters?
We’ve all heard comparisons between Asheville and Portland, OR – and for good reasons. Thriving arts + culture scenes, proximity to outdoor adventure, and engaged communities are all things we share. Not to mention we’ve been called ‘The Portland of the South.’ While Portland’s population is far larger than Asheville’s (647,805 vs. 91,902 in 2017), we definitely share a vibe – and we’re both surrounded by mountains.
Plus, both cities use “Keep ___ weird” as an informal slogan (and both borrowed it from Austin, TX, another possible “twin” city). Our median age is also about the same (36.8 in Portland, 38.6 in Asheville). And, we’re both in the top 10 when it comes to breweries per capita – Asheville currently holds the #2 spot while Portland is at #8 – and have both won the title of Beer City USA.
I mean tell me these don’t feel like sisters from another mister.
But we want to know what you think.
What cities – from all around the world – do you think are most like Asheville? Who would be our doppelgänger?
#Answered
We put the question to you, and now we want to share your responses. We heard from almost 100 of you who wanted to nominate Asheville’s movie stand-in. Here are a few that rose to the top –
Austin, TX
Photo by @visitaustintx
“Austin, Texas is Asheville’s big sister. I lived in Austin for 49 years. Asheville is what Austin was 40 years ago. All Asheville is missing is TexMex restaurants and Barton Springs.” – Nancy Sue E.
“Definitely Austin. Lots of friendly people, weirdness aplenty but also a lot of creative minds melding together and wild spirits celebrated” – Emma M.
Burlington, VT
Photo by @chasingmagellan
“Burlington Vt: Creative dining✅ College town✅ Buskers ✅ Mountains✅ Good music ✅ Weirdness✅ Small town vibe✅” – Pat B.
“Burlington VT..Mts, Water (Lake Champlain & Winooski River), College Town (UVM, Champlain College)Same people vibes, Progressive, Breweries” – Jean L.
Portland, ME
Photo by @visitportland
“Portland, Maine. Similar size in population in city and surrounding area. A vibrant art, music and food scene. Residents and visitors love the outdoors and activities like hiking, biking, skiing, and boating are abundant with nearby mountains, lakes, and ocean. University of Southern Maine campus in the city along with a large hospital as a major employer.” – Linnea K.
“Portland Maine, similar size and population, great food and they are just starting their brewery and distillation businesses. Similar to Asheville about 10 years ago. Home prices appear to be the same. Very walkable downtown. 4 seasons unlike Portland Oregon, historic buildings.” – M.E.G.
Here are a few other nominations from you –
“Alexandria, Virginia is another tourist destination with a thriving arts scene, parts of which are located in old tobacco factories and a World War Two Torpedo factory, which gives it a very similar vibe to the RAD. Like Asheville, it is located on a River, the Potomac. It is not too far from the Blue Ridge Mountains.” – Alex L.
“Ann Arbor, both very progressive cities that are growing. And both cities also have universities.” – Bridget L.
“Bellingham, WA - small mountain city, great arts scene, and a liberal arts university (Western Washington University)” – Bryan K.
“Bend, Oregon!” – Linda A.
“Bend, Oregon is about the same size, has lots of outdoor sports, is liberal, has breweries and distilleries.” – Jan V.
“Bend Oregon my first thought there was that it’s just like Asheville. Has the Deschutes river running through it, mountains, and several breweries like Deschutes Brewery.” – Julie G.
“Berkeley CA hippies and drugs” – Marie K.
“Boulder, Co: Breweries, arts scene, surrounded by mountains. Boulder Creek flows through. University of Colo campus. Restaurant scene. Population seems to be similar.” – Chris A.
“Boulder Colorado! Nestled next to the mountains, tons of craft breweries and a funky attitude ;)” – Alex P.
“Boulder, Colorado - due to similar landscape, cultural offerings, mindset, artisan crafts, and hiking opportunities” – Jane S.
“Boulder, Colorado. Situated at the foothills of the Rockies, there is always a view of the mountains with hiking, climbing, and skiing close by. There is a flourishing farmer’s market, local artists, many breweries, great food, and a decent music scene. And although Boulder has grown since I lived there in the 70’s, it still retains that small town, funky, hippie, liberal minded, free spirit vibe that connects community and a caring love for the environment.” – Lisa D.
“Boulder. CO. Beautiful vistas, hip culture, art scene, outdoor enthusiasts” – Linda R.
“Bruges - BEER” – Jeff F.
“Cincinnati! While it’s considerably bigger, downtown is so rich in culture, similarly to Asheville. Lots of great local businesses, cute boutiques, breweries, and restaurants. The people are also so friendly!” – Sam F.
“Duluth, MN. Similar size, similar vibe, tourist destination, outdoor recreation. We have mountains, and Duluth has a big-ass lake.” – Ben K.
“El Bolson, Argentina: smaller than Asheville, but growing. Beautiful mountain setting. Center for artists, outdoor activities, locally sourced foods and breweries” – Susan W.
“Eugene OR rather than Portland. It is funky, smaller and diverse population like AVL.” – Larry I.
“Fayetteville, AR” – Eldrick P.
“Flagstaff, AZ. Similar vibe, lots of small business, and best of all, dog friendly!” – Taylor S.
“Flagstaff, AZ...Lots of breweries, mountains, university and all you have to do is drive straight west on I-40 to get there.” – Pauline H.
“Flagstaff, AZ - smaller college mountain town than Asheville, but similar amazing food and beer scene with eclectic vibe and open and outdoorsy people!” – Emily C.
“Fort Collins...it’s just got the vibe, outdoors, bikes, beers.” – Erin G.
“Frederick Maryland” – Tom E.
“Galway, Ireland” – Eileen V.
“Glastonbury, Somerset, England” – Wendy I.
“Heidelberg Germany. Both cities have a castle (Biltmore), known for their beer; lots of outdoor activities- hiking , biking; surrounded by mountains; and both are very popular tourist attractions! I moved to Asheville because it reminded me of Heidelberg!” – Diane D.
“Innsbruck, Austria” – Fritz V.
“Ithaca NY land of waterfalls, old mountains, Cornell University and Ithaca College, very young population, center of wine country in the Finger Lakes, craft breweries, politically liberal, mayor was elected while a Cornell student. About 25,000 citizens and 25,000 students.” – Larry D.
“Kalamazoo, MI. Fantastic downtown. Kalamazoo College (private liberal arts) AND Western Michigan University (go Broncos!). The Kalamazoo River runs through downtown. Many breweries and brewpubs, of which the best known is Bell’s Brewery. Gibson Guitars was founded there. They have a hopping arts scene, including a monthly Art Hop. WMU presents and hosts cultural events throughout the year. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts for fine arts, Gilmore Car Museum for fun cars (sometimes borrowed for movies), and the Kalamazoo Air Zoo for aircraft. Sounds weird, or perhaps eccentric? They celebrate with “Eccentric Day” every December. Kalamazoo also has an incredible Public Library (named Library of the Year in 2002). Kal-Haven Trail is used for hiking and biking, but also for snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing. Timber Ridge and Bittersweet Ski Resorts are close by for winter outdoor adventures. Have I convinced you? Asheville’s weather is warmer and we’re slightly bigger, but I think we could be doppelgängers with KZoo.” – Libby P.
“Karpenisi, Greece one of Asheville’s Sister Cities.” – Jackie C.
“Madison, WI. Swap out Asheville’s mountains for lakes and these cities are very similar. There is a huge craft beer scene, constant festivals and events, an emphasis on local restaurants and food vendors, and an innumerable amount of things to do outdoors.” – Jeannie B.
“Missoula, MT. College and tourist town nestled in the mountains with a vibrant art and music scene, quirky in many of the same ways.” – Micah N.
“Missoula, MT. Beautiful mountains, university, fishing, kayaking, skiing, and a little liberal bubble in an otherwise conservative state.” – Kevin M.
“New Hope, PA” – Jessica M.
“Northampton, MA - near the Berkshires, home to Smith College (and others close by), great food/beer scene, and an Orange Peel-esque music venue (Iron Horse) with a mix of great national acts and cover bands.” – Chris O.
“Nuremberg, Germany for size, street scene, mountains and outdoor life.” – Steve M.
“Roanoke, VA” – John B.
“Roanoke, VA Similar leaves on the trees, part of the same mountain chain. Similar enough size. Artsy area. Along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Numerous craft breweries. Lots of outdoor activities available.” – Dave M.
“Roanoke, Va weather, culture, birds, mountains, rivers and lakes” – Vicki W.
“San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina: similar size, mountain landscape, thriving arts, culture, and outdoor scene. On a lake instead of rivers” – Susan W.
“Santa Barbara, CA. (Yes, we are missing the ocean) Lots of transplants here from there. Here are my reasons: Both are big on outdoor play; hiking, biking, walking, lots o’ alternative spirituality, lots of LGBTQIA peeps, BIG art & music scenes, big homeless population due to $$$$ and lack there of, amazing restaurants, same (not) affordable housing problem, great community colleges & universities, and MORE” – Jenna J.
“Santa Cruz, same good (weird) vibes.. we’re only missing an ocean.” – Autumn F
“Santa Fe. - lovely mountains, youthful and vibrant cultural scene, weird enough but 7000ft Instead of 3000.” – Tom B.
“Santa Fe, New Mexico. It has a vibrant arts community, lots of fabulous independent restaurants, and, of course, mountains.” – Diana C.
“Sedona, AZ. We both share mountains. What is not commonly known is that there Rea many vortexes here and in Sedona, AZ. Both places share a vibrant Spiritual Community, Higher Consciousness and consciousness with Living!” – DahVid W.
“Taos NM. Durango CO” – Steve M.
“Taos New Mexico or Graz Austria for vibe, location and size” – Madison B.
“Totnes, Devon, England” – Wendy I.
"“Check Sister Cities of Asheville for international dopplegangers” – Bunny C.
