“Wonder what was key in Asheville’s resurrection?”
Tourism.
Asheille city government finally paid off it’s Depression era bonds in the early 80’s and didn’t have the money to bulldoze 1/2 the downtown and replace with ugly red brick buildings like happened in many cities during the 1960’s.
With block after block of 1920’s buildings and a rising economy in the mid to late 80’s to 2000 the money moved in and so did rejuvenation.
Hmmm, now I'm worried …