Saturday, May 13, 2006

The Last Cows in Asheville


These cows live out on Hendersonville Road, wedged in between Applebys and Panera Breads, Walgreens, the Racquet Club and Deerfield Retirement Community. I heard today that they will soon be moving on and out of Asheville; their little farm has been sold; the land will be developed. Perhaps there will be another big drugstore, or another supermarket, or a chain restaurant, or a strip mall, like the one on Airport Road, where you have to drive from huge store to huge store; it's worth your life to walk across the acres and acres of parking lot concrete - there are no sidewalks; people don't walk here. Behind the cows and the racquet club is the latest Cecil extravaganza, the latest Biltmore development, multi million dollar homes back in what was woods. It's about 100 yards from the Parkway, if that, and the Mountains to the Sea trail has been quietly, quietly rerouted, because it wouldn't do to have it go too close to the homes of the wealthy.

So bid the cows good bye. They're moving on. They can't afford to live here anymore. Sure, people move here and visit here and think about basing their lives here, because of things like cows on Hendersonville Road, but they'll be gone. Another drugstore (there are only three or four in that half mile stretch) will be much more useful, and much more profitable, and there isn't any money in cows, or woods, or the Mountains to the Sea Trail. So look at them now, because soon they'll be gone, and we'll have concrete and McMansions everywhere.

2 comments:

jay said...

Excellent, if sad/enraging write-up, MGL. Perhaps the Mayor needs to read this...

1000 black lines said...

I agree with Jay. The Mayor needs to read this. It's my 'hood they're leaving. Some of my neighbors remember when Hendersonville Road was a two lane street and not the four lane major road.