North Asheville: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: the City of Asheville’s neighborhood plans (the North area map, the Grove Park-Sunset Mountain and 5 Points plans), Buncombe County’s school district map layer, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, the U.S. Census Bureau’s geocoder, OpenStreetMap and Zillow Research.

North Asheville is the band of older neighborhoods that climbs north from I-240 along Merrimon Avenue and Charlotte Street, past UNC Asheville and the Grove Park Inn, toward Beaver Lake. The city’s North area map lists Lakeshore Heights, Grace, Grove Park-Sunset Mountain, Norwood Park, Montford, North Downtown, Chestnut Hill and Albemarle Park. Homes are mostly single-family houses, many from the early 1900s, with apartments along the main roads. Most of it is in ZIP code 28804; the neighborhoods closest to downtown are in 28801. Montford has its own page.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Asheville High for most addresses, 65.4% of state tests at grade level in 2025-26. Asheville City Schools families choose among the district’s schools; enrollment is 828-350-6111.
• Home value: $583,670 in ZIP code 28804 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest interstate exit: I-240 Exit 5B at Charlotte Street or Exit 5A at Merrimon Avenue, a little over 2 miles by road from Merrimon Avenue near Larchmont Road.

Part of our Asheville neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The 5 Points neighborhood’s plan calls it “a northern suburb of downtown Asheville,” “roughly triangular in shape and bordered by three streets: Broadway Street to the west, W.T. Weaver Boulevard to the north, and Merrimon Avenue to the east,” with I-240 on the south. East of Merrimon, the Grove Park-Sunset Mountain plan describes “tree-lined streets surrounding the Grove Park Inn,” off the northern end of Charlotte Street, Macon Avenue, Edwin Place and Kimberly Avenue, and a less dense Sunset Mountain section “due to the steeper elevation,” up toward Town Mountain Road. Norwood Park and Proximity Park are both historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places.

All nine North Asheville points we checked, from Albemarle Park and Grove Park to Beaver Lake and Lakeshore Heights, were inside the city limits on the Census Bureau’s geocoder.

Schools

North Asheville is in Asheville City Schools. Points in Albemarle Park, Grace, Norwood Park, Grove Park, Lakeshore Heights, Five Points, Woolsey, Beaver Lake and Chestnut Hill all fell in the city district on Buncombe County’s school district map layer. One more point inside the city limits, at the northern edge near the Woodfin town line, fell in Buncombe County Schools’ Woodfin Elementary zone, which feeds Clyde A. Erwin High. The city district offers school choice at every grade level, according to its enrollment office.

Scores are the share of state tests at grade level or above in 2025-26 and the state’s growth rating, from the accountability data.

Asheville High’s four-year graduation rate was 90.2%. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.

ZIP code 28804 also covers the Town of Woodfin. Trends are on our home prices page.

Parks and trails

From the city’s park finder:

• Weaver Park, 200 Murdock Ave., with a ballfield, lighted courts for pickleball and tennis, a playground and a picnic shelter. The 0.75-mile Glenn’s Creek Greenway runs from here through UNC Asheville to Broadway.
• The Reed Creek Greenway, from the Botanical Gardens at 151 W.T. Weaver Blvd. along Broadway.
• E.W. Grove Park, 338 Charlotte St., with paved walking paths.
• Sunset Park, 41 Sunset Parkway, a linear green space beside a creek.
• Griffing Boulevard Rose Garden, 1719 Griffing Blvd.

More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• I-240: Exit 5B at Charlotte Street is about 2.1 miles by road from Merrimon Avenue near Larchmont Road, and Exit 5A at Merrimon Avenue about 2.3 miles.
• Downtown Asheville: about 2.2 miles by road.
• Asheville Regional Airport: about 16 miles by road.
• Buses: ART’s N1 (to Lakeshore) and N2 (to Beaverdam) run up Merrimon Avenue past UNC Asheville, and the N5 up Charlotte Street to the Grove Park Inn, on the city’s maps and schedules page.

Distances were measured with the OSRM routing engine on OpenStreetMap roads. They are distances, not drive times. More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap:

• The Fresh Market, 944 Merrimon Ave., and an Ingles near Merrimon Avenue and Beaverdam Road
• Whole Foods Market (70 Merrimon Ave.), Trader Joe’s (120 Merrimon Ave.) and Harris Teeter (136 Merrimon Ave.) at the south end of Merrimon Avenue
• Pharmacies: Walgreens near Merrimon Avenue and Clairmont Avenue, and CVS Pharmacy near Merrimon Avenue and Durwood Drive

Frequently asked questions

What neighborhoods are in North Asheville?

The city’s North planning area lists Lakeshore Heights, Grace, Grove Park-Sunset Mountain, Norwood Park, Montford, North Downtown, Chestnut Hill and Albemarle Park. The 5 Points neighborhood sits between Broadway and Merrimon Avenue just north of I-240.

What school district is North Asheville in?

Mostly Asheville City Schools. Eight of the nine North Asheville points we checked were in the city district, whose high school is Asheville High; one at the city’s northern edge near Woodfin was in Buncombe County Schools’ Erwin zone.

What is the typical home value in North Asheville?

Zillow’s typical home value for ZIP code 28804, which covers most of North Asheville, was $583,670 in August 2026, the highest of Asheville’s main ZIP codes and down 4.5% in a year.

What buses serve North Asheville?

ART’s N1 and N2 run up Merrimon Avenue past UNC Asheville, to Lakeshore and Beaverdam, and the N5 runs up Charlotte Street to the Grove Park Inn, according to the city’s maps and schedules page.