Metro Pulse/Urban Renewal

2706 Fairmont Blvd.

1,250 sq ft.

2 bdrm/2 bath (+ efficiency rental unit)

$97,900

Contact: Terena Boone

Remax: 694-8100

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by Matt Edens

Back at the beginning of the summer, when I wrote a piece about the "Bobo" phenomenon that's transforming the mindset and cultural outlook of the Bearden-Sequoyah area, I think I somehow missed the mark. Perhaps I dwelt too much on the material trappings of the Bobo lifestyle: North Face parkas, Starbucks' coffee and designer bread.

Which may explain why a lot of the response I got was a variation on the following theme: "Damn Yuppies..."

Which wasn't quite what I was getting at. Yuppies were a reactionary evolution of the Hippy phenomenon, and Bobos represent the reconciliation of the two types (or, to put it more scientifically, Thesis—Antithesis—Synthesis). Sure, some Bobos skew more Yuppie and others more Hippy. But the underpinnings are the same: a class ranking and value system based on education and achievement plus a complicated world view where even the simple act of buying groceries comes laced with socio-political significance.

"In my world," writes David Brooks, chronicler of the Bobo phenomenon, "the easiest way to categorize people is by headroom needs. People who went to business school or law school like a lot of headroom. They buy humongous sport-utility vehicles that practically have cathedral ceilings over the front seats. They live in homes the size of country clubs, with soaring entry atriums so high that they could practically fly a kite when they come through the front door. These big-headroom people tend to be predators: their jobs have them negotiating and competing all day...Small-headroom people tend to have been liberal-arts majors, and they have liberal-arts jobs. They get passive-aggressive pleasure from demonstrating how modest and environmentally sensitive their living containers are. They hate people with SUVs, and feel virtuous driving around in their low-ceilinged little Hondas..."

So where do you find the Bobos with Liberal Arts degrees, liberal arts jobs and liberal arts incomes? Well, you will find some in Sequoyah, in the smaller houses off the boulevard. You'll find plenty in 4th and Gill or downtown (although both places have growing numbers of high-headroom types). You'll also find them in points east and south—in Holston Hills and Island Home, or the older parts of Fountain City. Anywhere there are stable neighborhoods with relatively inexpensive, interesting housing stock that comes front-loaded with virtue.

Which brings me to this house on Fairmont Boulevard. The Fairmont/Emoriland area is prime pickings for Bobos of the more liberal persuasion. Drive down Fairmont Boulevard and it's easy to see why. It's a neighborhood of well-maintained and predominantly owner-occupied brick bungalows, cottages and colonials of 1920's to 1940's vintage. The yards are not ostentatiously large, and there are plenty of trees and quite a few sidewalks. There's even a bus line, transit being a Bobo barometer of virtue (we Bobos don't necessarily ride the bus, but take comfort knowing we could.). Farther out Fairmont there's even a golf course (public, of course...).

And the houses, like this circa-1930 bungalow, are loaded with the sort of craftsmanship that only the highest-dollar MBA could afford to build new out in Farragut. I'm talking about oak floors, French doors, and cool single-panel doors (made of solid cedar) with original crystal knobs. Outside there are privacy fences, off-street parking, a brick patio and lots of landscaping that includes Hollies and a Japanese Maple. Sure, there's some work to do—a little painting and refinishing— but nothing too daunting for someone looking to express a little of their own creativity, right?

A modest house at a modest price in a neighborhood that's a model of civic-minded virtue, and you're still not convinced? Well, try this: There's a rental cottage out back so you can do your part to support affordable housing (oh, and while we're on the subject of affordability, the rent should knock $200-$300 a month off your mortgage). So go ahead, buy this place. It'll make you feel good. Maybe even a little passive-aggressive.