Right-sized retreat.

• Author: Boyd, Leslie
• Position: TOWN SQUARE

More western North Carolina newcomers are opting for Hendersonville over its more famous neighbor, Asheville. One reason is the city's welcoming downtown.

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Beth Carden believes Hendersonville is a little like the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. "Asheville is a little too big for some people, and Brevard is a little too small. But Hendersonville is just right," says Carden, executive director of the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority.

Alvin Vogtle and his wife, Laura, agree. The couple from Birmingham, Ala., is looking for a place to retire, and Hendersonville is their top choice. "We loved downtown Asheville, but it's got too much traffic, and when we looked at prices, we would have had to live 20 minutes out of downtown," he says. "But if you drive 20 minutes, here you are."

Like many active retirees, the VogUes are looking for a place with hiking trails, golf courses and other nearby activities. While Hendersonville has long had a reputation as a retirement haven, it also has begun to attract younger people and families as both a tourist destination and a place to call home.

According to the U.S. Census, Henderson County's population increased 60% between 1990 and 2014, to about 111,000 residents, about one-third age 60 or older. Neighboring Buncombe County grew 43% in the same period. In Hendersonville, the county seat, the population rose from 7,284 in 1990 to an estimated 13,650 in 2014.

"We don't claim to compete with Asheville, but we do have breweries, vintners and cideries," Carden says. It also has lower real-estate prices and a more receptive local government that speeds the development process, says Realtor Alan Rosenthal of Rosenthal Mountain Properties. The average sales price in Henderson County in the last six months was $240,000, or 30% less than Asheville's average of $334,000, he says.

Hendersonville's popularity partly stems from a collaborative effort by local businesses to attract a diverse customer base. Henderson County is alone among the state's 100 counties to have its own tourism conference, which promotes ways for retailers and others to work jointly to attract tourists. Jim Sparks, co-owner of Flat Rock Ciderworks, which is joined by five breweries in the county, opened a tasting room on Main Street partly because of such efforts.

"If you come in to have a drink at 6 and then want to do something else, there has to be other businesses open downtown," Sparks says. "So...