Our mountain/retirement house is just 15 miles from Mars Hill. Burnsville is about the same distance form us in the opposite direction. Nice scenery and people. We wanted small town living and thats what is in that area, just perfect for us. There is a great quilt shop in Burnsville called Needle Me This. There is no Joannes, or Wal Mart, but a real live quilt shop. I needed straight pins late on Saturday and thought I'd check at the dollar store for some (the quilt shop was closed by that time) and asked the clerk if they had any and got looked at like I had 3 heads! She didn't know what I was talking about! Maybe she called them something else, but she didn't have a clue as to what a straight pin was!
Glad you liked ETC and glad you enjoyed your trip! No matter where you settle, I know you will enjoy North Carolina.