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Ask Matt ... where Skyland begins

Q. Where does Skyland begin and Arden end? I can never tell them apart.

Nor can we. If you run a Google map search for Arden, the pinpoint takes you to Fat Cat’s Billiards at the intersection of Glen Bridge Road and U.S. 25. The pinpoint for Skyland hits Dunkin’ Donuts less than two miles further north on U.S. 25. Hey, Google knows stuff. Arden has its own ZIP code, which encompasses Skyland. Arden has Glen Arden Elementary School. Skyland has its own Fire Department near Lake Julian where Duke Energy has its Skyland Power Plant. But don’t look for Skyland Auto because it’s way out in West Asheville. Confused?
Driving on Interstate 26 you will pass a monster green directional sign at Exit 37 that says “Skyland” but as you drive down Long Shoals Road there are no further clues — no “Welcome to Skyland” sign. That may be because most of Skyland and half of Arden is inside Asheville’s city limits. There is a narrow strip of Asheville that follows Hendersonville Road (U.S. 25) and runs from downtown Asheville to the airport. That little strip also takes in Biltmore Park Town Center. Yup, Asheville city police patrol Biltmore Park and can write you a ticket in front of the Regal Cinemas 10 miles from City Hall.
With the help of Brandy Bourne, a crack student researcher at UNC-A, we uncovered some history. It seems that a community named Shufordsville was settled in 1840 but was renamed Arden for the Forest of Arden in Shakespeare’s play “As You Like it.” Some records show that it once was an incorporated town founded by Otis A. Miller in 1888 as a resort. President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson honeymooned nearby.
So what’s the future look like for the communities of Skyland and Arden? The unincorporated parts will likely stay that way. A law passed in 2011 made it all but impossible for North Carolina cities to annex without consent of the residents. That same law shields our own urban communities of Mountain Home and East Flat Rock.

Q. I got behind a BMW i8 sports car the other day here in town. The car looks like the Batmobile. Do they sell many of those?
My sources at BMW of Asheville proudly report that they actually have an i8 on display in their Fletcher showroom and yes, they have sold a few. The sticker price for the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid model is $149,995. Pricy, yes, but the car gets 76 MPG.

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Send questions to askmattm@gmail.com.