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NPR's Michel Martin Coming To Asheville: When Your Hometown Gets Hot

NPR

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. We're happy to once again see that Asheville is a great place for public radio. Please follow the ticket link to get on the waiting list for returns. We'll post the list of Michelle's guests very soon.Thanks very much.

WCQS and NPR are proud to present Michel Martin Going There: When Your Hometown Gets HotFebruary 7th at Diana Wortham Theatre. 

  • Tickets to the Michel Martin Going There: When Your Hometown Gets Hot are $15 and are available by clicking here.
     
  • Tickets for Michel Martin Going There: When Your Hometown Gets Hot on February 7  AND Breakfast With Michel Martin February 8 are $50 and are available by calling WCQS at 828-210-4813. The breakfast is a private event at Rhubarb in Downtown Asheville with WCQS, community members and Michel Martin. Package tickets for both events are only available through WCQS and space is limited.

We all know this: Western North Carolina has become "hot." Chefs, brewers, artists and outdoor enthusiasts are flocking to Asheville, putting the city on the map as a food and craft-beer paradise. Affluent retirees are drawn by the state's low taxes and rich amenities: deep-rooted Appalachian culture, abundant recreation and mild climate.
But amid the benefits can come a downside: affordable housing is now becoming more scarce, especially for workers in the growing tourism industry. Even longtime residents have begun to fear being displaced or priced out. As more newcomers arrive, are their expectations coming into conflict with those who have called the area home for generations?

Join NPR's Michel Martin and WCQS for a unique live event, an evening of conversation, storytelling and performance, to talk about the benefits and tensions that emerge when an area becomes a popular place to live. Who is writing the future of Western North Carolina? Join us and find out.

It's the latest in the NPR event series, Michel Martin: Going There, and will be produced in partnership with WCQS | Western North Carolina Public Radio. Join the conversation on Twitter with #HotHometown and at @NPRMichel.

Michelle Keenan is the Associate Director of Development at Blue Ridge Public Radio. She began volunteering for the station in 1996 and has been a full-time staff member since 1998.