Where are the tolerant areas of the country for Long hairs in general.
Texas and Florida are obviously not among those, but which areas are
and when I ask this I am also referring to areas that are employment friendly towards long hairs whether you're a construction forman or an Database Administrator?
safe havens in general? not sure there are any-- in GENERAL areas where there is a shortage of help with an abundance of openings in the construction and IT sectors. when good help is hard to come by most employers will be ecstatic to get a skilled professional no matter what his hair length.
The best area that I've lived in was New Orleans. I worked in the engineering department of a big hospital down there, and there were several longhaired programmers, male nurses, and doctors on the staff, including one with some nice dreds. When I visited the Quarter, longhairs were all over, and obviously someone was keeping them employed.
I live in Memphis, TN now, and it isn't too bad either. There are tons of longhairs here, especially when you get into the Midtown and Downtown areas. A lot of them are computer guys.
Besides these places, I've lived, worked, or travelled extensively through much of the rest of the South- Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and a little bit in Texas. It's rather ironic, really- although the South has the reputation of being full of bible-beaters and enforced conformity, you'd be amazed at the number of good ole' boys with ponytails, Southern gents with shoulder-length silver hair, and long-haired Latino construction workers (particularly in South Texas). Also, remember- apart from the Southwest, the people in the South probably have more Native American blood than anywhere in the country. If you happen to have enough native blood to show, odds are that you will get lots of people asking your tribe, proferring information about their Cherokee grandfather, and such... and your hair will just be taken as a sign of heritage (which, hereabouts, is a major preoccupation).
Of course, you can always get a job with the Feds. Pay is decent, job security is great, and you have lots of leeway with your appearance, regarless of where in the country you happen to be.
yeah, there are a lot of longhairs in louisiana... i live about 2 hours from new orleans myself.