Jackson County offers a variety of great reasons to live here, and its growing population serves as testament to that fact. Whether residents are looking for an education, to start a career, or just settle down and take it easy, Jackson County can accommodate just about any lifestyle. We talked to just a few Jackson County people about who they are, what they do and how life is going for them in the Smoky Mountains.

Krysta Cooper

Age: 23

Job: Marketing & Public Relations

Number of years in Jackson County: 16

Why do you live in Jackson County?

Jackson County has always been and will always be my home. My entire family are natives of Jackson County and still reside here. Being in Jackson County means I get to be with them and my closest friends anytime I feel the need. It also means I get to visit my grandparents every Sunday and eat the best home cooked country meals ever. I love Sylva!

What do you do for fun?

When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband, family and dogs. I also enjoy going to high school and college football games. I love visiting all of the historic and local events that occur throughout the year in Jackson County. When I'm not doing any of the above, you can find me doing my favorite thing in the world, sitting on my big red chair, in pajamas, hair up, covered in a blanket and watching the Lifetime Channel.

What are Jackson County's strengths?

Jackson County has so many strengths! I love the southern charm and hospitality. The small town atmosphere always makes you feel welcomed and safe. We have four distinctly different seasons which, in my eyes, makes it the most beautiful and dynamic place in the world. But, the biggest strength by far is the people that live here.

James & Linda Worley

Job: Jim retired from the automobile and restaurant business.

Linda retired from the retail food business and enjoys a part-time job.

Number of years in Jackson County: 24

Why do you live in Jackson County?

(James) I was born in Jackson County and graduated from Sylva High School. After being away in Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan for 25 years, I moved back. It is great to live in the house I enjoyed as a child. It's a great retirement area.

(Linda) Jackson County is my husband's original home. We just decided to retire here. The mountains have a special calmness about them which we both need. You can get a better nights sleep here than anywhere that we have lived. Most of all, a multitude of beautiful people.

What do you do for fun?

(James) Fish.

(Linda) Jim's passion is fishing. I don't fish, but I love playing Mahjongg and together we do dinner with friends and family. Since I am not from this area we do travel to see my family about twice a year.

What are Jackson County's strengths?

(James) It's an easy place to live, light traffic, low crime, and great people.

(Linda) First of all, we have two colleges in the area. That's a big plus. This is a wonderful area for outdoor enthusiasts that want to hike or raft. It's not far to the Asheville airport for people that like to travel. It is a fairly safe place to live. We haven't had many natural disasters. The weather is great with four beautiful seasons.

Greg Bauguess

Age: 33

Job: Development Associate, North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching

Number of years in Jackson County: 3

Why do you live in Jackson County?

I grew up in Wilkes County and my wife, Rose, grew up in Clay County, so we chose Jackson County because it is near both of our families. After working for a while in Raleigh we wanted to come back to the mountains to settle down and raise our family and not be too far from our families. We also wanted to live in a small town, like where we grew up, where you know your neighbors, and can be a part of the community.

What do you (and your family) do for fun?

Most anything outside. We like to hike, bike and camp and spend a little time in the water. Jackson County has plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy. We also enjoy the cultural aspects of Jackson County like Art After Dark in Sylva, Mountain Heritage Day and the Bridge Park activities.

What are Jackson County's strengths?

The wonderful people who live here, the sheer physical beauty of the mountains, streams, and rivers, and the strong sense of place and community that you find here. There is so much natural beauty, history, and culture. Jackson County also has good shopping and restaurants. We enjoy having a local bookstore, bike shop, brewery, and bakery, and we find most everything we need right here in the county.

Tony Baumann

Age: 23

Job: Bicycle Mechanic at Motion Makers Bike Shop in Sylva

Number of years in Jackson County: 5

Why do you live in Jackson County?

I live in Jackson County because I love the mountains of Western North Carolina, and I am a student at Western Carolina University studying graphic design and entrepreneurship.

What do you do for fun?

For fun I ride a lot of bicycles and dirt bikes. During the summer, there are awesome cliff jumps and rope swings at the lakes around here. I also found the fly fishing is great here! During the winter, I stay busy going to school and riding snowboards at Cataloochee.

What are Jackson County's strengths?

Jackson County has a very laid back, small mountain town atmosphere. The weather here could not be better, especially in the spring and fall. Anything outdoors you can think of, this place has it. Climbing, biking, kayaking, boating, hiking, fishing, camping, you name it.

Eric Ridenour

Age: 40

Job: Lawyer

Number of years in Jackson County: 13

Why do you live in Jackson County?

When I was in my third year of law school, I knew that I wanted to live in a small town in North Carolina, either on the coast or in the mountains. My first time in Jackson County was for a job interview with Phil Haire and Ben Bridgers. I wrote them a couple times requesting an interview, but they didn't respond. In hopes of having several interviews over spring break, I bought my plane ticket before I actually had any interviews. I knew when I pulled off exit 83 and into the old chamber building where I changed into my one and only suit that this was the perfect place for me. Every Monday, for the next eight weeks, I wrote Ben and Phil, sometimes with various letters of recommendation, sometimes begging, until they finally gave in.

What do you do for fun?

My recreational activities have changed over the years. When I first moved to town, we used to have some pretty competitive and physical basketball games. As my knees eventually wore out, I took up boxing. There are some very competitive boxing and mixed martial arts clubs in the area, at minimal or no cost, with some really great guys and skilled fighters running the local gyms.

Now, with the kids' schedule so active (Maris, eighth grade and Jack, fifth grade), my free time is spent attending and coaching them in their sports. When I am not at one of their games, you can find me at the Smoky Mountain football or basketball games on Friday nights and the Western games on Saturday.

What are Jackson County's strengths?

Aside from the obvious aesthetics of the county, the Mayberry-like downtown and mountains, and the fact that we have Division I athletics in a small town for a fraction of the cost of what it would cost in the rest of the country, Jackson County's best strength is the people, and more particularly the native Jacksonians. As is true in most small towns, the people are nicer, friendlier and genuinely more caring. In the city, you can budge in line at the post office and be rude to your neighbor because there are no ramifications; you don't know those people and they don't know you, so you, your business, job, church, children, family, etc. won't suffer the consequences of a rude reputation.

In a small town, being nice and taking care of your neighbor becomes a habit, to the point that people that move here from somewhere else can't help but develop kindness as an everyday habit. With the large part-time population, the seasonal tourists, and the large influx of people moving here because they just want to live in the most perfect little community in the world, it would be hard, as a native Jacksonian, to be kind and patient to them all. They continue to be so, and in turn, kindness and patience becomes a habit for the newcomers as well.