Happy two-year anniversary, Asheville. These last two years have been a whirl for us + for Asheville – and we love that so much has happened in the city we call home. We can’t believe that it’s been a full 24 months since we launched and celebrated with you all at Bhramari Brewing Company. Oh, the memories…

Our very first newsletter dropped on Feb. 8, 2018. So, to celebrate our second anniverary, we put together some of our favorite stories and posts – and a snapshot of how far we’ve come – and where we’re going. Plus, a little reminder of who exactly we are.

🎉 Here’s a snapshot of two years ago today…

Subscribers: We started with 450+ in November of 2018 (after we first announced we were coming to Asheville in October), then grew to 6,800+ by our launch in February. Today: 40K subscribers. We appreciate every single one of you.
Instagram: We started from scratch in Nov. ’17, grew to 4,000 by this time in 2018. Today: 27,800 followers. Y’all make our community thrive with your tags and comments. And remember, you can holler at us by using #avltoday in your posts + stories.
Facebook: Like Instagram, we started from scratch, and grew to 4,600 by February. Today: 13.8K followers. An extra shoutout to the 25+ of you who have given us 5 star reviews.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be9Hc3DBliE/

Keep reading to relive more of our favorite moments with us + get reacquainted with our team. We’re not crying, you’re crying. ⬇️

Ali, Editor, is (still) finishing her novel (it’s a long process, ok?). She’s also started teaching the enneagram to businesses, couples, and one-on-one after completing her fifth year of intensive study + training through the Enneagram School of Awakening. You can also catch her on Asheville FM every Wednesday, where she co-hosts the talk show Slumber Party, and slinging (horror) movie reviews in the Mountain Xpress.

Asheville Brewing and The Orange Peel’s plans for 75 Coxe Ave.
- We were so excited to talk with Asheville Brewing founder Mike Rangel and The Orange Peel’s manager, Liz Whalen Tallent, about their plans to create the largest outdoor venue in the area – that will include family-friendly events, live music, food trucks, “Shakespeare on the Slope” + more. The first large show is scheduled for June 12 (and it’s already sold out).
Who is Asheville’s doppelganger city?
- Who would play Asheville in a movie? We asked you to pick the cities that most remind you of home, and then we took a deeper look at three that came out on top – Austin, TX; Burlington, VT; and Portland, ME. Plus, we included all the responses we got, which shout out some far-flung + surprising destinations.
You know you’re from Asheville if…
- I still love this story from August of Year One –a full feature about alll the ways people know they’re from Asheville – and why they’re proud to call it home – but we couldn’t have done it without your responses on social media. Y’all made this native proud.

Brook, Editor, is a mama to three young’uns (two rescue pitbulls and one little human pitbull puppy). She enjoys cooking, eating, kickboxing, reading, and exploring the outdoors with her family. She is also working on her memoir.

Lake Julian: South Asheville’s new cold water lake
- I loved this piece because it was exciting to share such big news with readers. I also learned a lot about the area, Lake Julian itself, and the power plant — all topics on which I had very little existing knowledge. We like to learn right alongside y’all.
Nine local cookbooks from Asheville, N.C. authors
- Most of us want to eat more healthfully and save money, and cooking at home is an easy way to accomplish both these goals. I was really excited to delve into the array of cookbooks from local authors, because I love sharing info on how to help folks feel more excited + empowered to take control of the food they put in their bodies. I also loved getting notes from some of the cookbook authors themselves on how tickled they were to be included. Health is wealth.
Playing pickleball in Asheville, N.C.
- This piece was really a lot of fun. Not only did I learn what pickleball is, I got to say + type pickleball a lot (which is strangely rewarding). Most importantly, I learned that there are a good number of y’all who actively play it. Your enthusiasm was delightful + infectious.

Evan, Digital Media Intern, is his final semester at UNCA. He is planning to stay in Asheville after graduating and enjoys basketball, beer + finding new music.

A Guide to Ramen Shops in AVL
- Ramen is my favorite food, so trying all these places was a treat. It was also nice to highlight the growing asian food scene that is coming to town.
Cost of Living
- This is a very important issue in Asheville + as someone who is looking to stay in town after graduation, it was good to learn about what it costs to live here and how it compares to other places in N.C.

Busking Guide
- This was a really fun piece to write, especially when it came to learning about some of the iconic performers we have in town. It was really interesting to learn about the ABC (Asheville Buskers Collective) and how they work with the city to help create rules + guidelines for performers.

This year, we’re excited about continuing to build our Voices platform – which allows you to take center stage and publish your original content on our website + in our daily newsletter. Our Voices pieces have celebrated local mixologists, honored Juneteenth, highlighted beauty in Asheville’s streets, and shared fascinating Asheville history. Read more about Voices – and share your voice – here.

We couldn’t do what we do without our incredible Year Two Strategic Partners: UNC Asheville, HomeTrust Bank, and FIRC Group. These local bizzes have invested back into their community by supporting AVLtoday and help us provide this free newsletter every morning. Special shoutout to other supporting partners, including The Blood Connection and Experience Columbia SC.

Want to learn about how you can be a part of the conversation? Check out our advertising opportunities here.

We’re so excited to step into year three with you, Asheville.

And we want to know – what’s been your favorite thing about AVLtoday, from features to social posts, in our first two years? We love hearing from you (and we still answer every email you send our way), so let us know below – or head over to Facebook or Instagram.

Cheers to another great year of conversations ahead. 🥂

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