Should we concentrate ourselves in particular locations?

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I'd originally moved to Seattle about seven years ago on the premise that I would go back to nursing, get on my feet (I was homeless living in a car) and return to Nashville to write country songs. Yes, I'm still here. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men...

that man was A MAN! what a super physical specimen, he was TOUGH! and sharp as well.

I really would'nt call moving to an existing city seperatism. We'd be moving to a city, or several different cities, where we'd still be with individuals of other neurotypes/cultures/languages/and cusines (:cough: RedRobbin).

In regards to the arguement that such an idea would cause more issues for Aspies....TBH, read the "work" thread, I think there's enough issues already.

Requirements:

1. ethnic diversity (differences accepted)

2. extensive public transportation (no need to drive)

3. low marriage rates

4. active gay community

5. careers available in creative pursuits, scientific research, technology, and government (public sector is superior to private sector from a discrimination/hiring standpoint)

From a job perspective, I put D.C. on the list simply because of federal employment and disability hiring preference.

These cities would not make the list:

1. NYC/Chicago (too materialistic, too stressful, and too focused on anti-aspie careers like banking)

2. Atlanta/Houston/Dallas/Phoenix (lack of public transportation; too friendly, so aspie coldness not as acceptable as in the PNW, for example)

3. LA (too appearance-oriented, lack of public transport)

For any selected location(s), there will have to be a balancing act of the cost of living, and the available income streams.

That may be an issue for some of the proposed locations.

True. I think we need to choose a variety. In some cases, an extended metro area might fit the bill. For example, what if we piked Seattle and a smaller town a short drive away?

I don't know Seattle, so I'm not sure how far you need to go to reduce the cost of living. We'd also have to balance against the availability of public and/or low-cost transporation.

I do know my metro area. You would'nt have to go all that far to reduce the cost of living, but the mass transit availability is poor. There's also the income stream issue to think about.

I understand and think it's a good idea. What you are proposing is quite similar to gay people deciding to move to San Francisco. There was pushback and violence (the murder of Harvey Milk, for example) and the fight isn't over (Defense of Marriage Act) but over the decades it became a fairly welcoming place for gay people to live and thrive. It isn't homogenously gay. It isn't a model of either separatism or ghettoization. Instead it's a place where gay people are mopre likely to find acceptance than elsewhere in the US (except other pockets) and where the hetero people most likely to move there are the ones who feel comfortable living alongside out gay people.

Theoretically the same thing could happen with AS people. Some say it has already started in tech pockets like Silicon Valley. The biggest hurdle is choosing places (multiple places in different countries). I don't think it's necessary to have uniform agreement. Gay people didn't take an international poll and then stay where they were until everybody agreed on San Francisco. It happened through slow and organic accumulation as it may be happening in Silicon Valley for those who can get jobs there. Maybe it can happen in other small pockets too. Several suggestions have been made.

This list is not representative of the typical aspie.

As for #3 and #4, why would you embrace societal rot?

Trying to stop thread derailment...

I respectfully question the "Silicon Valley" arguement. While there is no single measure of what is "silicon valley", it would be reasonable to say that it has some of the higher cost of living in the United States. Expecting Aspies to just....drift there, at the same time that we have so many members who have suffered adverse selection in the employement market, is, IMHO, not a reasonable expectation.

Some of our members who have lived there indicate there are other problems. I am also aware that there are structural financial issues with the surrounding governements that may hurt the choice of Silicon Valley as a location.