Apartments Near Southwestern Community College

Unfortunately, because of Southwestern’s extremely rural location in the Nantahala National Forest, there aren’t many apartment listings to be found nearby. The last time I checked, there were only 15 listings within ten miles of the school. Most of these were in forested areas, or even in the mountains. Most students look in neighboring towns for rentals, and on the college’s website there is a page where students can post listings for their pads. Housing isn’t easy to find here, and requires a lot of flexibility, a patient eye on the market, and perhaps a longer everyday commute. When anyone thinks of North Carolina’s colleges, usually the first schools that pop into their head are Duke University, the University of North Carolina, or even Davidson College. They rarely think of Southwestern Community College, which is one school that’s quickly earning credibility in a state full of impressive colleges. It’s one of the finest community colleges in the country (Washington Monthly ranked it fourth overall), and is partnering with local organizations to expand: it recently teamed up with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to found the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts.