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wavecannon
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31 Jul 2014, 4:51 pm

The countryside, specifically the house I'm in now, forever and ever or at least provided fracking and all that doesn't destroy it first.

I'd absolutely hate to live in Seattle. Horrible place. People simply aren't looked after in the USA. I'd even rather live in Milton Keynes.



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01 Aug 2014, 12:01 am

Boston is chock-a-block with geeks and there's support resources here.



mr_bigmouth_502
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01 Aug 2014, 2:16 am

I don't know about any particular cities, but Vancouver Island seems like it would be a pretty chill place to live. There are a lot of artistic, old hippies there, and the pace of things is just really relaxed. The weather is nice too, and the scenery is beautiful. I'm not sure what kind of resources they would have for aspies, but the locals are really nice and accepting of "weirdness".

I went there about three years ago to visit some relatives, and I loved it. I've heard it's an expensive place to live though. :(



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01 Aug 2014, 6:57 am

Stoek wrote:
Kiprobalhato wrote:
^wow. i'd have never guessed that. thanks, i've been thinking about going to college in Portland.




Unless hes comparing it to somewhere else, id take that comparison with a grain of salt.


I get where this is coming from, though. In these bohemian areas like Austin, Boulder, Portland, etc. you are expected to be able to engage authentically IN THE MOMENT in some very weird social situations to get by (a lot of the humor in a show like "Portlandia" comes from this.) In a BIG city like Houston, Chicago, or New York you can get by being anonymous, not engaging with anybody, using scripts and politeness to do the necessary socializing that comes up. Nobody judges you for not doing it right because they don't even notice you.



mr_bigmouth_502
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01 Aug 2014, 10:20 am

I just found out recently that Edmonton has an autism society. I'm actually a little bit surprised, but given that they also have the University of Alberta hospital and a few other highly respected healthcare institutions, it makes sense.



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01 Aug 2014, 1:51 pm

Some people with Asperger's have problems with big cities yet enjoy the relative tolerance. But others find the stress level as something that might cause them problems. I think Santa Cruz, California might be kind of ideal. Fairly mellow, tolerant, diverse and near enough to both San Jose and San Francisco as well as quiet nature outings in the redwoods and places like Big Sur only a short distance away.



Last edited by r2d2 on 01 Aug 2014, 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BirdInFlight
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01 Aug 2014, 2:36 pm

I've lived in Austin TX and London, England, and I would pick Austin anytime. It's true that it's bohemian, artsy, and a bit hipsterish, but I found that I relaxed into that "script," although in fact I have to say I felt more my authentic self than at any other time in my life. I managed to live relatively stress free compared to what it's like to live in London. In Austin you can be weird, a geek (there's also a big tech base there) and accepted. I knew a few techie and arty and musician aspies and they were comfortable relatively. It's a very beautiful place and there are plenty of places to be peaceful and alone. It's also geographically large and spread out, yet with a population just under one million. Any place you go, there's personal space to spare even in a busy store, and there's room to breathe. However, the downside is you really do need to drive in order to get through your day with any efficiency. It's spread-out and the bus system is slow and sparse.

However, I actually found that having a car helped me avoid the overload I get from a lot of interaction with people, because I was in my own bubble while getting from A to B. In London I'm now a pedestrian and I cycle, and I find that even the incidental interactions with strangers on the street in my journeys anywhere, and certainly on public transport, contribute a stress factor to me that I did not have when I had the privacy and autonomy of my own car.

Austin's a great place to live, and I functioned MUCH better in my Austin life and setting than I did either before or after in London and the UK.

In contrast, London is a nightmare. 10 million people packed into the same physical area as greater Austin. Every store is busy and people are always up against you. Walking in the street, no personal space is given or received. Sensory issues abound, loud traffic, stinky smells, overcrowded public transportation. There also seems to be way more of a script to adhere to here, and I feel myself masking and feeling it necessary to be inauthentic in order to slide by and not be noticed. That may, however, be more to do with the unevolved sector around me in the East End of London, a place not know for people with forward thinking. Lots of old school "Put up and shut up" "Keep calm and carry on" "Stop whinging" psychology around here, not understanding of different needs. I've made a bad trade.

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mr_bigmouth_502
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02 Aug 2014, 12:05 am

BirdInFlight wrote:
I've lived in Austin TX and London, England, and I would pick Austin anytime. It's true that it's bohemian, artsy, and a bit hipsterish, but I found that I relaxed into that "script," although in fact I have to say I felt more my authentic self than at any other time in my life. I managed to live relatively stress free compared to what it's like to live in London. In Austin you can be weird, a geek (there's also a big tech base there) and accepted. I knew a few techie and arty and musician aspies and they were comfortable relatively. It's a very beautiful place and there are plenty of places to be peaceful and alone. It's also geographically large and spread out, yet with a population just under one million. Any place you go, there's personal space to spare even in a busy store, and there's room to breathe. However, the downside is you really do need to drive in order to get through your day with any efficiency. It's spread-out and the bus system is slow and sparse.

However, I actually found that having a car helped me avoid the overload I get from a lot of interaction with people, because I was in my own bubble while getting from A to B. In London I'm now a pedestrian and I cycle, and I find that even the incidental interactions with strangers on the street in my journeys anywhere, and certainly on public transport, contribute a stress factor to me that I did not have when I had the privacy and autonomy of my own car.

Austin's a great place to live, and I functioned MUCH better in my Austin life and setting than I did either before or after in London and the UK.

In contrast, London is a nightmare. 10 million people packed into the same physical area as greater Austin. Every store is busy and people are always up against you. Walking in the street, no personal space is given or received. Sensory issues abound, loud traffic, stinky smells, overcrowded public transportation. There also seems to be way more of a script to adhere to here, and I feel myself masking and feeling it necessary to be inauthentic in order to slide by and not be noticed. That may, however, be more to do with the unevolved sector around me in the East End of London, a place not know for people with forward thinking. Lots of old school "Put up and shut up" "Keep calm and carry on" "Stop whinging" psychology around here, not understanding of different needs. I've made a bad trade.

.


And somehow I thought London would be more accepting than a city in Texas. Then again, acceptance of ASDs is pretty high in Alberta, and Alberta is like the Texas of Canada.

I'm going to be honest here, I've never lived in a big city before, but I've always found small town/country life to be dull and unexciting. Well, country life can be OK if you're into outdoor activities, which I was when I was younger, but nowadays I'm much more of a "techy" sort of person. I want to live somewhere where I can actually have decent cell service 24/7, be able to grab a cheeseburger at 2 am, go places without a car, etc.



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02 Aug 2014, 1:07 am

r2d2 wrote:
Some people with Asperger's have problems with big cities yet enjoy the relative tolerance. But others find the stress level as something that might cause them problems. I think Santa Cruz, California might be kind of ideal. Fairly mellow, tolerant, diverse and near enough to both San Jose and San Francisco as well as quiet nature outings in the redwoods and places like Big Sur only a short distance away.

isn't that by Monterey? i've been there, it's really nice. i'm in southern california.


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02 Aug 2014, 10:53 am

mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
And somehow I thought London would be more accepting than a city in Texas. Then again, acceptance of ASDs is pretty high in Alberta, and Alberta is like the Texas of Canada.


Ah, but Austin is a special case. It's often said: "Austin may be in Texas, but it's not of Texas."

The catchphrase on bumper stickers is "Keep Austin Weird." That tells you a lot! : )

Austin is like an oasis of forward thinking, a thriving and lively art and music culture, diversity, liberalism and progressive thinking trapped in the middle of a state that is known for being the opposite of those things. It comes from being a major University town with a strong hippy background from the 60s. Anyone who knows about Austin knows that it's known for New Age spirituality, musicians (Spoon), and filmmakers (Robert Rodriguez, Wes Anderson), gay and lesbian acceptance, high tech industry (Dell computers started in Austin) and healthy lifestyles (Wholefoods started with one store in Austin).

Don't think "city in Texas" with all the baggage "Texas" carries. Just think "Austin."

By contrast, while all of London is probably not what I describe in terms of old fashioned thinking, my particular section of London tends to have people in it that are the old fashioned, "no nonsense" hard-headed "East Enders". Think Ray Winstone or Bob Hoskins, rather than Hugh Grant or Colin Firth. Tough, hard people who -- in my experience -- are behind the times about modern psychology, psychiatry, and are of the type that will laugh in your face if you try to explain Asperger's or autism. That's actually happened to me, in fact.

In other parts of London there probably are more enlightened thinkers. But right around my area, not so much...

Strange to say it (of a city in Texas of all places, yes) but I found more intelligent, forward thinking and enlightened people in Austin. That's the kind of place Austin is.

Quote:
I'm going to be honest here, I've never lived in a big city before, but I've always found small town/country life to be dull and unexciting. Well, country life can be OK if you're into outdoor activities, which I was when I was younger, but nowadays I'm much more of a "techy" sort of person. I want to live somewhere where I can actually have decent cell service 24/7, be able to grab a cheeseburger at 2 am, go places without a car, etc.


Austin isn't a small town or rural, its definitely a "city" city, just not as huge, of course, as London or NYC, for example. But you can definitely get reliable cell and internet, get food 24/7, even shop at the supermarket 24 hours. It's all city. It's just that everything is spread out and you do need a car for time management and convenience.

I actually found Austin much more "open 24 hours" and exciting to be in than London, which can still be very old fashioned and hard to get around once the Tube stops.

.



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02 Aug 2014, 1:19 pm

aspieinsane wrote:
Don't venture to the Caribbean and expect people to understand aspergers. More likely than not, you will be thought of as crazy. But still nice sights though.
I would think that new york would be a good city since I think it would be considered cool to be an aspie not to mention all the hipsters.


Due to issues with sensitivities and sensory integration problems I would think New York would not be a good place for me.

I live in a small town in the MidWest and I like how quite it is a night. I like to take walks when everyone is a sleep. But as far as there acceptance on a scale from 0 to 10 I would rate them a zero. Last year I had a mental health crisis and a mobile crisis team was called. Now I'm considered a troublemaker and people think I should be in a group home. I work two jobs, which is a huge accomplishment in the AS world but yet NT's here still think people like me should be in a group home. Most people here have never even heard of Aspergers or they think it is a childhood disordered or I'm dangerous and could freak out and go shoot up the elementary school.


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03 Aug 2014, 12:52 am

Parts of New Jersey (which could be viewed as kind of part of NYC) are known for having a large autistic community and is where Ari Ne'eman is from. DC region is also filled with geeks, just like Boston, and culturally similar to that.



devilSpawn
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11 Mar 2017, 12:49 pm

AnonymousAnonymous wrote:
Whatever you do, do not move to Portland. Even though Portland is culturally diverse, many Portlanders I have come across enjoy treating marginalized groups, such as Aspies, like dirt.


yep, all the hipsters and yuppies do marginalized folks with disabilities and such... whatever you do, if your autism manifests at all in your physical appearance, don't go anywhere in public by yourself... portlanders are like f*****g vultures, they will swarm in on you and make your life hell, as long as you are by yourself and perceived as "weak" and "defenseless". crummy f***s that portlanders (californian transplants, really) are... also, if they think someone is looking at them and judging them for what they do, they will be excessively nice, kind or courteous to you, but this is only for show and their fakeness is painfully obvious when this happens... there are a lot of services and supports for people on the spectrum but as others have pointed out, those are almost entirely for parents and their autistic children... autism speaks has an office in the area, but they don't answer emails or have any interest in helping you with anything if you are an adult on the spectrum.

Also, the police here have a tendency to harass and bully people on the spectrum... generally, portland sucks horribly for adults with autism, however, if you are looking for services and such, it's the only place to be in oregon as literally nearly each and every "specialist" in oregon who specializes in treatment and services for adults with autism is located in portland and the surrounding area... rest of the state only helps children. Sad but true.


Also, roger meyer used to be the dude for adults on the spectrum... serious hitter when it comes to advocating and helping us to improve our lives and such, but he is now retired and doesn't too much do those sort of things anymore... now that he's gone, there's no one left interested in being in our corner... portland has gone to s**t and it's not getting any better. :/



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11 Mar 2017, 12:55 pm

It's not a city, but the tristate area in general. This includes New York City and nearby counties, three Connecticut counties, and Northern New Jersey.

Riga, Latvia is also a modern city in Europe that I'd say qualifies.


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11 Mar 2017, 12:56 pm

Kiprobalhato wrote:
oh. sucks.
are there certain areas in Portland that are better than others? or towns not too far from it?



in my experience, gresham seems to be about the most tolerant place around portland for autistics and perhaps that is exclusively attributed to all the work roger meyer has done over the years... also, there is more "diversity" of common folks there... I like gresham, but it can be a scary place sometimes too.



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11 Mar 2017, 12:58 pm

arielhawksquill wrote:
Stoek wrote:
Kiprobalhato wrote:
^wow. i'd have never guessed that. thanks, i've been thinking about going to college in Portland.




Unless hes comparing it to somewhere else, id take that comparison with a grain of salt.


I get where this is coming from, though. In these bohemian areas like Austin, Boulder, Portland, etc. you are expected to be able to engage authentically IN THE MOMENT in some very weird social situations to get by (a lot of the humor in a show like "Portlandia" comes from this.) In a BIG city like Houston, Chicago, or New York you can get by being anonymous, not engaging with anybody, using scripts and politeness to do the necessary socializing that comes up. Nobody judges you for not doing it right because they don't even notice you.



portland yuppies and hipsters do not seem to engage in ANYTHING in an "authentic" way... is what it is.