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I am a 24 year old young man from Tennessee. While I have lived in Atlanta for approximately 8 years, most of my life has been lived in East Tennessee. I hate it here.
I have Aspergers along with Anxiety disorders, tourettes, and bipolar. I have had many setbacks here while living in Tennessee and I feel people here are judgemental, unforgiving, opinionated, close-minded, and cliquey. The "good ole boy" system here runs rampant. While people here are not completely mean, I am having a hard time progressing here.
I have had too many bad experiences in Tennessee, and I am seeking a change in scenery. I rather move farther west. I don't care for the north at all due to the cold and dreariness of winters. I definitely want to leave the south.
I am looking to get back on my feet eventually. Right now, I still live at home with parents, on disability, unemployed, and have pretty much remained a recluse/hermit for years.
I want to be able to enjoy the rest of my youth (20s) and I am seeking a place that is more accepting of my Austistic issues and where I can advance and succeed.
I'm on the spectrum as well. Glad you're taking charge of what your needs are and how not to let them hold you back more than they have to. Moving far away from my parents in Illinois has definitely helped me become more independent and get better at understanding and relating to new people.
Since you mention living a reclusive life for years, I'll assume you don't have a degree and aren't close to finishing one. That probably means you'll want to learn a trade or at least get an unskilled job that doesn't require a lot of interaction with customers, and if there's another field you'd rather be in, you can learn stuff on the side.
You'll want an area with a fairly high wage to rent ratio so you can afford the rents without a high salary. I think the judgmental and closed-minded attitude you describe is least common in cities - which, unfortunately, are not very high in wage to rent ratio. However, among the cities that aren't in the interior North or the South, the ones that look the most affordable include Phoenix, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Spokane, WA; Yakima, WA; and Medford, OR.
I should mention that you could live in a lot more different cities if you got roommates who you get along with - I know people do that on Craigslist. This is, however, another topic on which I have no experience.
I live in New York and it's filled with autistics as well as people with mental illness. Particularly the Bronx. There are at least 3 people with Asperger's in my job.
The OP needs a progressive/moderately priced city with entry level job opportunities, and would recommend cities like Minneapolis, Baltimore or Pittsburgh.
You certainly have a full plate of issues, which, unfortunately, is not really a 'Tennessee thing' that can be fixed by seeking a "place" that is less judgmental, narrow-minded, etc.. Likewise, hiding-out as a "reclusive hermit" will never help you learn to interact with other people, regardless of where you are located.
The issues you face are yours, not geographical. The loving parental support structure you have will be almost impossible to replace elsewhere. Is it also fair to assume that you also have some type of counseling or support group network where you are? If not, that's where you should start!
Realizing that you need and want to "move-on and progress in your life" is a giant step forward. Recognizing that you must change from within, before a new location or other people will change, is an essential second step. The third step is to actively begin to take small steps beyond your 'comfort zone,' to bring about real change in your own life.
This is an only an anonymous forum of strangers, but, I assume you've heard something like this before. Perhaps, hearing it again, will re-enforce what you already know. Good luck and may God bless your endeavors to move forward.
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