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The town of Biltmore Forest has an irregular, oblong shape, hemmed as it is on all sides by natural and manmade barriers: Interstate 40 to the north; Hendersonville Road to the east; the Blue Ridge Parkway to the south; and, to the west, the thick woods of the Biltmore Estate and, beyond it, the French Broad River.
This geography contributes to the town’s status as a quiet, picturesque — and wealthy — enclave, about 1,400 people across 3 or so square miles, nestled in the crook of Asheville’s southeastern arm. Over the past couple of years, it has also made the community an enticing living laboratory for a cohort of researchers studying Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses…