Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Fairview’s subject grades is an A− for health; the weakest is a D for walkability. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Fairview, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Fairview has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Sherrill's Inn and John A. Lanning House. Fairview has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Fairview beats most towns.
Where Fairview’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Fairview is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2003 and a map from 1990 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairview. Close and well known come first.
5 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw18 mi MountainMount Mitchell
Big draw35 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
25 mi National forestPisgah National Forest39 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
11 mi State parkChimney Rock State ParkBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Chimney Rock State Park: Jmturner, Public domain
Fairview is unincorporated, so Buncombe County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Fairview.
The typical Fairview home is worth about $510,000, down 4.3% in a year, 54% above the North Carolina typical home. 95% of Fairview households own their home, against 67% in North Carolina’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Buncombe County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 646 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
26% of Fairview adults sleep under 7 hours. Fairview beats the North Carolina average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of Fairview adults get no exercise outside work.
| Fairview | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Fairview | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.3% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.5% | 15.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Fairview for work: only 2% work in town. The median household income in Fairview is $92,000. The top destinations are Asheville (43%), Charlotte (5%) and Fletcher (3%).
| Fairview | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $92,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fairview has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Fairview’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 2013, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairview.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7 within 15 miles of the center of Fairview
About 3 of every 100 Fairview residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
4 places in Fairview on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States
Fairview is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,678 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 7.1 years of the area's median household income ($71,838 across the Asheville, NC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
