Snowfall is heavy in the higher elevations, but the past 20-year average in Asheville is 12 inches per year. Many educational opportunities are available. The campus of the University of North Carolina at Asheville is situated close to the heart of the city on 175 acres. Other nearby advanced educational institutions include Western Carolina University, Warren Wilson College, Mars Hill College, Montreat-Anderson College, and Brevard College. WCU and UNCA have expanding graduate programs.
Recreational opportunities abound.
Asheville's nine parks provide swimming pools, tennis courts, and a Nature Center with a variety of animals native to this region. Asheville has 21 summer playgrounds, eight neighborhood recreation centers, and two senior citizens' centers. Two public golf courses and three country clubs provide superior play ten months a year. Two great national forests offer fishing, hiking trails, and rock climbing. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway give the area both unlimited recreational opportunities and scenic splendor.