"Artsy", funky smaller towns in Tennessee? (Franklin, Harriman: houses, living)

[TN Tin Man]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

I got the impression that Summertown itself was a traditional town that The Farm happened to be located outside of. Has it been populated by ex communards over the years?

Most likely started way back in the late 60's early 70's ... Turn off ... Tune In .... culture... make love not war.

[JoAnn5]

Sewanee, TN is cool. It is a small community, University of the South is located there, it's on top of the mountain, populated by eclectic, artsy-fartsy kinds of folks, some rich. The campus is based on old English, Oxford-type stone buildings and a really gorgeous stained glass rose window in the chapel. It's Episcopal domain. I think you'd love it.

[NC77]

That's right JoAnn! Is it by Monteagle?

[BirdieBelle]

Yes, and it is TEENY tiny.

[groovamos]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Tennessee doesn't have too many towns the size of Asheville. Most of them are suburbs of Nashville and very bland (Franklin, Murfreesboro, et al.).

Site of historical mansions, old buildings, county seat, site of the Battle of Franklin, restored old theater, old factories turned into arcade type collections of activities/business, formerly connected to Nashville by the state's only interurban commuter railroad, pre Civil War economic center? You ever been to Franklin? You ever been to Murfreesboro, home of the second largest university in the state? I could be wrong in thinking not.

[jabogitlu]

Yeah, I've been to Franklin and Murfreesboro. I didn't find too much I liked. But -- I have a slightly different taste than some folks. I did well in Midtown Memphis (made it just before the hipster invasion at Overton Square, which was kinda... gross) and in Johnson City. Franklin/M'boro aren't alternative enough for me. Figured the OP had similar tastes since they mentioned towns like Asheville. (Though admittedly Asheville has overwhelming numbers of hipsters... some parts of the city are still great though.)

[creeksitter]

In what way was the hipster invasion gross in Overton Square? Or was the square gross before the invasion?

[jabogitlu]

Well, it was definitely gross before, yes. And now it's gross afterward. When I lived in Memphis, I couldn't afford a $15 po boy, or a $10 drink at Local. The hipster invasion was gross because it co-opted viable, urban retail street frontage which could house community services (so I could walk to a bank, a laundrymat, a deli, a market...etc) and instead underpinned a variety of services and restaurants which cater to the upper middle class and/or the young crowd living on debt.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Well, it was definitely gross before, yes. And now it's gross afterward. When I lived in Memphis, I couldn't afford a $15 po boy, or a $10 drink at Local. The hipster invasion was gross because it co-opted viable, urban retail street frontage which could house community services (so I could walk to a bank, a laundrymat, a deli, a market...etc) and instead underpinned a variety of services and restaurants which cater to the upper middle class and/or the young crowd living on debt.

That's what Overton Square always has been.

In fact, in the 1970s, there were upscale home stores like Forty Carrots and Swings and restaurants like Paulette's there.

It's supposed to be an attraction, an entertainment destination, not another run-of-the-mill corner in Memphis.

[groovamos]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Yeah, I've been to Franklin and Murfreesboro. I didn't find too much I liked. (Though admittedly Asheville has overwhelming numbers of hipsters... some parts of the city are still great though.)

Well I certainly wouldn't want anyone to find "too much". This is the first time I've ever read an overall diss of Franklin. How can you have a town in the hills with this much dramatic and tragic history, soldiers dying, a plantation house which was a makeshift hospital for that war, and come up with a ridiculous adjective like "bland"? You next should explain why people from the coasts are pouring into the town and surroundings. And while you're at it you might have a reason why the town was less than 5000 population in the '60's and what is the population now? I think more than 60,000.

Posts like the above basically have a message: check me out I'm cool. I can shock you with out of the ordinary pronouncements. In other words -- lemme knock your socks off and pay attention.