Asheville is nice, but after a while, I feel kinda like I'm in the boonies. Because, in fact, Asheville is not much of a town and is surrounded by Appalachia in all directions. If you are pretty self-contained and mostly just want to enjoy the surroundings, Asheville is nice. And it is not as hot in the summer. Politically, it is more conservative, too, for what that's worth. It has less sprawl and pollution, but less upscale stuff too. Museums, university stuff, specialty stores, political and cultural variety.
If you live in Raleigh you'll be 2 hours from the beach, and 4 hrs from the mountains, 2 1/2 hrs from Charlotte and 1 1/2 hrs from Virginia (of course, depends on what you are aiming for in Virginia).
I promise that's all the nagging I'll do.