Blessed with a mild summers, courtesy of its 2, 300-foot altitude, Asheville also has less severe winters than one would imagine, due to the " thermal belt " that wraps the foothills and valleys of the Appalachians.
12.
When the plant was sidelined in the early 80s, the unit, as well as the unfinished power plant, was sold to a movie company before being acquired by the Thermal Belt Railway in 1989, becoming their # 1.
13.
The line was leased to Southeast Shortlines, Inc, which renamed the line the Thermal Belt Railway after the area's isothermal effect which, on certain cool nights, allowed the area mountains to be warmer in temperature on the slope than on the base.
14.
Average winter highs range from the low 60's �F ( ~ 16 18 �C ) Average Winter overnight lows are a function of topology and can vary significantly, from an average low of 37 �F ( ~ 3 �C ) in the thermal belts above the inversion layer where cold air can readily drain off the slopes.
15.
Earley studied English at Warren Wilson College and after graduation in 1983, he spent four years as a reporter in North Carolina, first as a general assignment reporter for " The Thermal Belt News Journal " in Harper's ", which published two of his stories : " Charlotte " in 1992 and " The Prophet From Jupiter " in 1993.
16.
"The N . C . wine industry is deeply rooted in the state's Colonial heritage, " said Ronnie James, manager of the WNC Regional Office of the N . C . Department of Commerce, as he read a letter from Gov . Michael Easley . " Polk County has a unique climate, is in the Thermal Belt, and we are confident it will be a success ."
