Hickory Nut Forest is a new eco-community in western North Carolina, about 25 minutes away from Asheville, North Carolina’s biggest city. It is placed in the Blue Ridge Mountains, right in the middle of nature’s beauty. The community focuses on being an eco-friendly place using “green” tactics such as land conservation, green-built homes, organic gardening, and renewable energy sources. The goal is to be a community that creates more renewable energy than it uses.
Hickory Nut Forest and the immediate Gerton are places that take their visitors back in time. They have remained relatively untouched by modern life, providing a wonderful chance to live more “lightly,” with a better carbon footprint and a focus on clean living. But don’t let that fool you—Hickory Nut Forest has plenty of amenities and things to do for the individual as well as the community.
Aside from the plentiful outdoor activities, including hiking trails, horseback riding, bird watching, fishing, picnicking, boating, biking, gardening, rock climbing, and more, there are tennis courts, golf courses in the area, and many community social events.
For your daily needs there is an old-style general/grocery store, a post office, a fire department, and a community center all in Gerton. More amenities are available about ten minutes away in Fairview, and of course Asheville is a major city with all the other amenities you would need.
The homes in Hickory Nut Forest are built to show the love for the land and the earth its owners have. The homes are designed so they can be built out of earth-friendly materials, with wood or other materials that don’t require a large carbon footprint to harvest. Buying local helps the community keep the capital in the area, as well as cutting down on expensive transportation requirements. The houses are designed with the idea of living with the earth—using clean air, water conservation (including low-flow faucets), and even solar heating. These homes are truly green.
Hickory Nut Forest is designated a “forever-wild” land, so it will not be developed in the days to come. The forest will remain the same, and goes right to your front door for you to enjoy. Covenants on the building lots ensure that the homes blend in to the land naturally as best they can.
All in all, Hickory Nut Forest is a good place to retire to if you are interested in green living and believe you have a responsibility to help protect and take care of the earth.
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