Arden?
Arden is the site of our Trinity View, a lovely home for almost 100 independent living and 20 assisted living residents, but who know where Arden lies?
I called the Buncombe County Courthouse, they didn’t have a map of Arden and couldn’t locate it exactly. There are cities and towns in Buncombe including Asheville, Black Mountain, Weaverville and others, but Arden is none of those.
Arden is really non-existent except in the minds of some locals and the “exigence” of the Federal government. Arden, it seems is a census-designated place (CDP), a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, and I quote, “The boundaries of a CDP have no legal status and may not always correspond with the local understanding of the area or community with the same name.”
I have learned though, from other sources, that Arden is “approximately considered” the area between Skyland and Fletcher near the Henderson County line. That is as close as we can get.
There is no local government. The county sheriff provides law enforcement, the Skyland Rural Fire Department provides fire protection, backed up by the Asheville Fire Station No. 4 in cases of need. My nephew, the Asheville fire chief, tells me they’ll be at Trinity View in record time for service coverage.
Oh, and the Federal government placed an “Arden Post Office”, apparently not knowing where they were. Its postal service area also includes other designated places and spaces.
Besides Trinity View, Arden has some other highlights. 12 Bones is a well-known barbecue restaurant, not the original where Barack and Michele always tried to go by early when they vacationed in Asheville, but the second site which includes the currently required brewery. The site, long and narrow on the railroad, was originally a mop factory almost a hundred years ago.
And you don’t want to miss the Blake House, not to be confused with the Biltmore House a little further away. But you can stay at the Blake House, 40 years older, for bed and breakfast, such not available to you at the Biltmore.
Arden was named for the Forest of Arden, in Shakespeare’s comedy. Who named it or what was included in the named territory, as you may have guessed, seems to be unknown. You will remember the Forest of Arden represented the country life and an escape from the corruption of one’s former existence.
Yes, Trinity View does have current vacancies. Get yourself here quickly! Our forested walking paths will soon be producing beautiful wildflowers.
A better life awaits you right here in Arden.
