Asheville is beautiful and perfect for creative types. I only visited there once but totally fell in love with it.
It depends on what exactly you are looking for. What kind of people you want to be around.
Me I would go back to GA in a heartbeat if I had any money
Housing there right now is super cheap. Where we lived was just south west of the Atlanta airport. Near enough to go to Atlanta. On the Marta line if I needed it. Although most people moved to the north side it was too crowded and too expensive for us. Fairburn fit me nicely. Like any place else the south side has good and bad areas. And some of the so called good area's are the worst.
I will say though culture shock is to be expected moving from the north to GA . :-)