Honolulu - 6/2/2009

High quality of life: very clean and beautiful environment and fantastic water sports. Cost of Living however is very high, with expensive real estate, high state and local taxes, poor quality public schools.

[Comment on this Posting]

hawaii - 4/13/2009

recreation,climate,

[Comment on this Posting]

how much to live in honolulu - 4/5/2009

it is realy high coast ot live there

[Comment on this Posting]

Great Place if You're Rich - 11/1/2008

Honolulu has to be the nicest American city. Crime here is low (particularly the random, violent variety), there are no "bad" neighborhoods, the locals are laid-back and friendly and speak a highly unique, melodious brand of American English, and the scenery and climate...but I guess I don't need to mention them. Don't plan on moving here for more than an extended vacation, however, unless you're at least upper-middle class. You've probably already read about the notorious median price for a single-family home - about $600,000. What you may not have read, however, is what you get for what you pay. If all you have is $600,000, you're likely to get no more than say 1500 sq. ft. of living space, very little storage and a very tiny yard. If I had the money, I could deal with the sacrifices, because in many respects Hawaii really is Paradise. You don't need so much living space when the weather is perfect year-round. But the fact of the matter is that the most my wife and I - both teachers - will ever be able to afford is a townhouse or condo in the $400,000 range...and even that would be a stretch for two teachers. So, we're working on a 5-year escape plan so that we can raise our family in an affordable part of the universe. Be sure, however, we'll enjoy our precious few years in Paradise while we're here! P.S. Pay no attention to these "racism" comments. The fact is, there's not ethnic majority in Hawaii, so all of the different ethnic groups get teased in some way, which overly sensitive mainlanders are at times quick to misinterpret. Honestly, I think you'd have a hard time finding a more tolerant place in the U.S. overall. The only true distinction people make here is between locals, mainlanders and foreigners (there are a lot of them, mostly new immigrants from Asian countries). You can tell who's who by the accent. Locals, as locals do everywhere, sort of have the upper hand socially. But if you demonstrate that you appreciate Hawaii, you're quickly accepted. What they call the "Aloha spirit" is very real. Of course, there are intolerant jerks, but fewer here, in my opinion than anywhere else.

[Comment on this Posting]

85 and sunny - 8/24/2008

If you like city living in the middle of a very large ocean, this is the place. Don't count on doing any activity that is not somehow connected with the beach. The city tends to be introverted and what happens in the world seldom makes news. The weather tends to be 85 and sunny with some showers. February gets more rain but not enough to stop outdoor activities.

[Comment on this Posting]

Hawaii is Highly Overrated - 8/23/2008

Hawaii is Highly Overrated... Honolulu has a serious homeless problem. When I visited there, I saw hundreds of homeless people all over the place... especially while driving down North King Street. This is a far cry from the "Aloha" spirit that people go to Hawaii to experience. There are approximately 8,000 homeless people just on Oahu. They also have a serious illegal drug problem in Honolulu. Dog-the-bounty-hunter has his hands full in Honolulu. Honestly, I think Oahu is highly overrated. I can't speak for the Big Island or the other islands, but Oahu has been over-developed into a concrete jungle. If you hike to the top of Diamond Head in Waikiki (and trust me... it's a challenge), at the top you can look down over Honolulu. It was there that I realized just how much Honolulu has been ruined by all the commercialization, building and tourism. It's super crowded. Traffick is an absolute nightmare. There are hundreds of streets that all start with the letter "K" and sound the same. Plan to get lost and spent most of your time looking at a map if you rent a car. I was really disappointed when I stopped in an ABC Store at Waikiki Beach to buy some Hawaiian gifts. After looking at 3 different items that all said "Hawaii" on them, I complained to the store clerk that they were all "made in China." I finally found some Kona coffee, which is made in Hawaii. It's sad that everything is about making a buck nowadays. You can hear some great Hawaiian steel guitar at the Waikiki Marriot Hotel on Thursday and Sunday nights, which was the highlight of my time on Oahu. Food is ridiculously expensive. $9 for a gallon of Orange Juice. $7 for a pound of bacon. One of the best deals on the island is the "Diner's Drive-in." Food is cheap, but good. Forget housing. You can't buy a home for less than $450,000, and that's for 2-bedrooms at the most, with no yard. Waikiki is all about money. I spent $35 to park for 5 hours at a Hotel one block from Waikiki. When you know everything is being done to make money, it's not the true spirit of Aloha, which is suppossed to be from the heart. Like anywhere else, there's good and bad. Yes, it's a beautiful island; but all the commerialization has really robbed Oahu of it's former beauty. With 7 million tourists visiting annually, it's a busy major metropolis, and get this... now they're constructing a hard-rail train system through Honolulu. So much for paradise! Still, expect to see lots of rainbows if you visit or move there. It rains continually due to the mountains rising into the clouds. It's beautiful to see, just don't look too long while crusing down HI, H2, or H3 (the major highways on Oahu). The mountains are incredibly beautiful, but after looking at them for a few days you'll be sick of them. Been there done that. The music will make you want to cry when you get there, because it's so pretty, but it'll also make you want to cry after about a week, because it's so annoying. Of course, it's always beautiful to come back to later on. Many people living on Oahu own multiple homes, from previous generations. They live in one and rent out the others. That's how many people make it in Hawaii. Housing was ridiculously cheap in Oahu 25-years ago compared to today. I've heard that 8 out of 10 people living in Honolulu are millionaires. The bottom line is that the middloe-class cannot afford to live in Oahu, but if you are single, you can make it. You can rent 1-bedroom and share a kitchen for $800 a month. That's the only way to make it in Oahu. If you have many household goods, pets, kids, and need a house, Oahu is not for you unless you are very wealthy. Kindest regards

[Comment on this Posting]

I'm ready to get out of here!!!! - 6/24/2008

My domestic parnter & I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii on the island of Oahu this year, hoping to find our dreams & future here. We researched alot, which I would recommend GREATLY to anyone. There are positives & negatives about Honolulu, and here they are... Positives: Great diversity of cultures & races, an array of every kind of food you could ever imagine, beautiful beaches, lots & lots of shopping from designer to thrift, and great public transportation. Very openminded towards GLBT, religions, and types of dress & people. The weather is beautiful always, although you don't get four seasons here, only two, which are both warm. Doesn't rain too much in the summer, but still very beautiful mountains, trees, jungles, & water. Nice sandy beaches, and the city is pretty clean for the most part. There are other wonderful things as well... Negatives: NO PARKING ANYWHERE (& if you do find parking, you could pay $2.00 per 20 minutes in some areas) and if you plan on buying a home here, parking rarely ever comes with your home, therefore, you'll have to find street parking, which is horrible. For the price of $175,000- the most you can find in Honolulu would be a studio condo, that most likely needs renovations. The cost of living is HORRIBLE. Prices on everything, including food, & even things at Walmart is at least $1 or more than everything on the mainland. The people here don't really like white people, the locals are very agressive & within a couple of weeks of arriving, we had already seen two fights on the streets. The city is noisy, they charge for EVERYTHING, and the coral/reef/rocks in the ocean are pretty bad. The business people are unprofessional, and there are alot of people that will try to rip you off, I think, due to the cost of living, people have to take desperate measures to survive, so salespersons are especially agressive & annoying. Also, there are TONS of homeless people everywhere! People would ask us for money often. And there are also other negatives as welll... Point is- I believe that you would need to research on your own. Realize that the pictures you see in books and online aren't everything, just that certain place, which could be located beside a homeless shelter and trash everywhere... I'm just saying, don't be fooled by the pictures, although there are BEAUTIFUL places here, for us, it just wasn't where we could imagine living long term, nor could I imagine people raising children here. This will forever be, to me, a great vacation place but I can't handle much more than that... but to each, his own.

[Comment on this Posting]

prices are crazy - 3/24/2008

I rent a very very small room, which was the same price as the three bedroom house my parents rent in upstate NY - of course their rent has doubled since moving there about 15 years ago. I have been living in this city only a few months and it is far too expensive for me to plan on living here much longer. Even fruit is super-expensive, which is crazy because a lot of it is local. On the Big Island I found everything was much more affordable.

[Comment on this Posting]

Lay Back - 3/5/2008

Honolulu can be an excellent place to live if you get into the Lay Back style but it is expensive and choices are limited due to geography (isolation of island life).

[Comment on this Posting]

Cost of Living - 2/27/2008

Honolulu is a beautiful and diverse city, there is not anything you cannot do here. However, it comes at a price! Living in Honolulu is expensive, coming from the mainland I was shocked to see that a gallon of milk cost over $4/gl. Price is roughly 10-20 cents more per gallon, and having anything shipped costs double. If you are planning to visit, ensure you map out your attractions ahead of time, this will save you time and frustration. If you plan on moving here, make sure you do your homework on the higher cost of living.

[Comment on this Posting]

Housing - 2/26/2008

It is very expensive for the Local population to live here. With the average home here over $600,000 and condo $320,000, it is hard for a single person to get into the real estate market. The newer condo is central Honolulu are being built for the rich that live 'Out of State'. There are 2 bed rooms, 750 square feet of space for $700,000 new. With all that being said, this is a great place to live, the state officials need to make it more affordable for the current residents.

[Comment on this Posting]

Traffic is not that bad. - 12/3/2007

People here complain about traffic, but compared to other major US cities, it is very manageable. Folks here don't like to be in their cars very long so their tolerance for traffic is lower. BUT, many of the traffic problems here (in my experience) are due to folks here not knowing how to merge (they slow down to merge with highway traffic instead of speeding up to match the flow of traffic) - so it's just a matter of getting into the frame of mind of the locals and relax and you'll get there when you get there.

[Comment on this Posting]

Kudos to Doug - 11/3/2007

Just want to say that Doug is really on to something. Often in life we attract things that fit with our dynamics. Ever notice how positve people seem to have good experiences, and negative ones bad? Good and bad are everywhere and happen to all of us, all we can control is how we see it. That determines whether it controls us or not.

[Comment on this Posting]

peace - 11/1/2007

honolulu = peaceful and just the right place to live in harmony

[Comment on this Posting]

forget retiring - 7/14/2007

Although living in paradise is often viewed as "worth the money" when it comes to savings and planning for your retirment, this is not place to be. The cost of housing here is unaffordable to the average family, acerage or large parcels of land are unheard of and building a home from the ground up without it being in a subdivision is not done. While I do love it here, I cannot afford to stay here and plan on having enough money to live when I retire.

[Comment on this Posting]

this is a multicommunal place - 6/12/2007

there seem to be a lot of religious folks here -- lots of churches, temples, etc.-- but I seldom hear people talking about it, perhaps it's because of the general spirit of tolerance and acceptance and expectation of diversity. I wouldn't assume that my next door neighbor is Buddhist, Mormon, or whatever ... and I wouldn't ask either.

[Comment on this Posting]

wonderful university - 6/11/2007

The University of Hawaii at Manoa is a great place for your education!

[Comment on this Posting]

living in Hawaii - 5/22/2007

I moved to Hawaii in the 80's from the east coast, left with husband and son after 10 yrs and returned 6 years later. No place is perfect but we are happy here. My husband is from Hawaii and is Asian so my son is Hapa - half white.The people in Hawaii are for the most part open, kind and careful if you are white. If you are respectful then they are open and giving. I prefer to live near Honolulu as it is an area where all the races must interact and they seems to be more open to outsiders or differences. There are people from all over the world, all sorts of things to do from the arts to sports, shopping, eating and anything a city anywhere has to offer. The people from Hawaii don't respect where they live enough, in my opinion, and think that outsiders are critical of them. I've seen tourists act like idiots and stare or treat people here with amazing rudness and that could explain it.But everyone needs to be taken on their own merit. Asians have been so rude to me it takes my breath away, but my husband and friends are Asian and so what do you do? My son was so prejudiced against on the mainland by whites, it was awful. Here the majority of people are open and kind and intellegent, it's not a race thing though, it's the mind think. My conplaint is the traffic, cost of living, education in public schools, the gov't is greedy, useless and exploitive to it's own people, the roads are third world as are the homes and areas look like ghettos selling for 7oo,ooo to a mil. Food cost is insane, job opportunity to live well here is very limited. We wish the police would focus on crime and not idiocy like jay walking or walking through parks after ten or walking dogs. The dope and crime rate is going up and they don't do enough about speeding on the highway. You can live well in Hawaii but if I could find a place elsewhere that had a better quality of life for the money with the diversity, and convince friends to come with me, I'd move in a NY minute. Hawaii is getting ready for a massive exodus. I fear the the next wave of people coming in will have even less respect for what is here culturaly then what I have witnessed in the last 20 years. Come for vacation, but go home , it's not worth the price unless you are established with friends here.

[Comment on this Posting]

Waikiki and the rest of us - 5/5/2007

In Waikiki there are many police officers and major crime is at a minimum. Unfortunately petty crime is everywhere else largely due to the meth problem in this area. Prostitution is readily visible on busy corners of Waikiki as early as 10pm and homeless are omnipresent throughout Honolulu. The urban myth is that other states buy one way plane tickets to Hawaii for their gutter punks and destitute. The truth seems to be that it is relatively easy to survive on the fringes here without the danger of cold, extreme heat and the ample supply of disposable tourist possessions.

[Comment on this Posting]

Response to Racism in Hawaii postings - 5/5/2007

Regarding moving to HI and racism. I lived there for 5 years, on Kauai and Oahu and never once had a personal experience of racism.. Am white. Other posts talk about its diversity and Aloha spirit. There is a simple concept that most people do not want to accept, and that is that their lives reflect their attitudes and beliefs. That is why one black woman will tell you Hawaii is awesome, and the next that it is full of racism.. (and so on). If you are a confident person, with a solid idea of who your are and amiable, you will find what you are looking for, wherever you decide to go... Humans are generally racist in nature, a kind of survival mech built in that is ever so slowly being eliminated. If one is totally sensitive to in, guess what, they will attract it into their lives. If one is like: big deal, next...... you will attract solid people who have also moved past this attitude. That goes for everything else.... whether you live in HI or Atlanta. I left HI in 03 and moved to Brazil. Am married and live on the NE coast. I loved HI, and everywhere else I have lived in S CAL, Alberta and BC, MT, CO and CT where I was born. My heart and instincts led me, and it has been a marvelous journey. Follow yours, stay positive and look for the best in people and in yourself, and go for it!!!

[Comment on this Posting]