well, i've only lived here for three days, but having lived in both charlotte and asheville, i can tell you that asheville is a hell of a lot better than charlotte is.
black sheep is about the only good thing charlotte has going for it. that and the fact that they're building a velodrome in rock hill, SC, but i'm not even sure about the details on that. there's tons of suburban sprawl in charlotte, it's really hard to get around without driving, and the roads aren't bike friendly at all.
asheville is often referred to as "NC's last liberal stronghold," so take that to mean whatever you want it to. just from riding here the past two days, i can tell that traffic is fairly bike friendly, and i've seen more bikers on the road than anywhere else i've ridden in NC. everyone i've talked to has been super friendly, but if you don't like southerners, idk what to tell you.
UNCA is about a mile from downtown asheville, and the city seems pretty simple to get around. the school has a strong art program (not sure about design, specifically), and is the state's only official liberal arts school, i believe. oh yeah, and did i mention that the school has a bike shop/coop on campus that teaches you how to fix your bike and rents commuter rigs? plus, UNCA students are able to ride asheville transit busses for free.
and as other people have mentioned, asheville has the closest thing to a velodrome in NC, which is the mellowdrome. i did a few laps on it tonight for the first time, and had a good time. i'll definitely be going back.
so, those are my impressions of both cities, after having spent three days in asheville and six months in charlotte. i prefer asheville a whole lot more, but if you have a serious phobia or hatred involving hippies, that might get in the way. on the other hand, if you have problems with ******bag fratboys, stay away from charlotte.