Asheville is the administrative seat of Buncombe County. The city is located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers at an elevation of 2,134 ft (650 m).

It is the largest city in Western North Carolina and the principal city in the four-county Asheville metropolitan area. Asheville is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the world's largest active archive of weather data.

Asheville has been called "The Paris of the South." It is the business, cultural and tourism hub of Western North Carolina. The city and the surrounding mountains are a premier destination in the autumn when fall foliage peaks in October. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs through the southern edge of the city as does the Apalachian Trail. The world-famous Biltmore Estate and Gardens, the largest privately owned house in the United States was erected here in 1889 and is open to the public for tours.

Asheville is located at these coordinates:  N 35.60095 W 82.55402   |  (see map)