Not the place to educate kids - 10/10/2009

Although Hawaii is undeniably a beautiful place with many desirable attributes, education is not one of them. Public education is in a word--horrible. There are many good private schools, but that adds cost in what is already an extremely high cost of living area. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any better at the college level. Especially after you get outside of Honolulu program offering a few and weak.

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ups and downs - 9/21/2009

I am currently in the military and stationed in Hawaii. It's a great place to be, but it does have it's ups and downs. It depends on what you want out of life. Of course, it is beautiful, and there are a lot of things to do. But most of the things cost a lot of money. Cost of living is tremendous here. Many extended families live together just to afford a house. Many native Hawaiians are low income which is pretty sad, since we are just visiting and have taken over all the great places and made them too expensive to enjoy. There are a lot of great beaches. There are so many people on the island of Oahu that traffic is rediculous every day. There is virtually no break from it. Parking, also is a mess. If your family lives on the mainland, it's quite expensive to visit.

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flu - 6/3/2009

i am interested in living in a state the the flu dosent speand in.

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New - 4/28/2009

I am looking fourd to moving.

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Aloha - 12/13/2008

In Hawaii we live Aloha, which means people smile at one another,wave to each other and offer help whenever needed. You can have a flat tire and sure enough within 5min. 3to4 people will pull-over to help you. I love living here and have been for almost 34yrs. My children were born here and both have stayed. Hawaii is paradise because of the weather and the people.

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GREAT TO VISIT NOT TO LIVE - 12/4/2008

My family and I have just relocated to Hawaii from Georgia due to the military. I came to HI with an open mind ready to discover this new place I will call home the next 3 years. I have to say I am unhappy about living here. Hawaii is VERY overrated. I must say that the people I have encounterd here are very warm and friendly and the beaches are beautiful! However, everything is not like what they show you on TV-they forget to mention how expensive things are over here, how super-crowded this place is, how horrible the school system is here when compared to the mainland, how many of the communities over here look like slums/ghettos, etc. Being that there was no base housing available, me and my family are living off-base- be prepared to pay at least $2000/mo for a nice home (that's only a 3br2ba maybe 1700 sq. ft. w/little to no backyard)for a family of 4. Everything is expensive here from groceries to water, electricity, etc. Many of the homes here do not have A/C but for those who do you really can't afford to run it (typical electric bill runs $300/mo and up) Does anyone wonder why there is such a homeless problem here? Also many of the places here do not allow pets. Traffic is horrible everday! The schools here do not mirror schools on the mainland in terms of academics and they also get a lot of days out of school over here. This past October they had every Monday (for the month) out of school. They get out of school early every Wednesday (12:30) and they get 3 weeks for Christmas break and 2 weeks for spring break-plus they got Election Day off (for what they don't vote)! There are so many other things I can go on about but for those who want to live here PLEASE do your research first! Island living is not for everyone. There's more to life than hanging out at the beach such as living comfortably, giving your kids a quality education, etc. Hawaii is wonderful to visit but I am really looking forward to and already counting down the days when I can return to the mainland to LIVE!!!! Sincerely, Missing the Mainland

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Spend the money on private schools! - 11/30/2008

To the state's credit, it is trying to attract better teachers to instruct in the public school system, but for as long as I can remember, public school teachers were left with few books and supplies, outdated technology and furniture, and sub-standard teaching conditions. Many of the teachers had to spend what little money they had (not the greatest pay) to purchase supplies for their students. Not to mention - drugs, crime, and gangs run rampant in some of the worst public schools. This is not much different than in other states, but it is important to note that just because you are in the "aloha state", these issues do not disappear. One thing that many newcomers do not realize is that the high school that people attend can either make or break them. One very strange thing about Hawaii is that often times (i.e. in job interviews), the high school that you went to is more important than the college that you graduated from. This is another reason why it is difficult for non-locals to break into the job system there. Some of the top schools are: Punahou, Iolani, Mid-Pacific, St. Louis (for boys only - especially if your son is into sports). Punahou and Iolani definitely compete for the top school in the state.

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Re: Racism - 11/30/2008

Generally speaking, outsiders view Hawaii as a melting pot of different races living in harmony - the "aloha state". I was born and raised in Hawaii (I am mixed race - white mom, asian dad) and I lived there until I graduated from high school. I can tell you that Hawaii can be a very racist place, especially toward white mainland people (aka "haoles"). My mom faced many difficulties running her business as a white woman, and my fiance and I would encounter public comments from "local boys" about him being a f*ing haole and having no right to date a local girl - we run into similar comments almost every time that we go out. We have since moved to the mainland and have lived in California, New York, Texas, and DC - each place that we lived has been far less racist than Hawaii. Keep in mind that upon first impression, you may experience racism. However, even if you blend in based on your appearance, there is another type of discrimination against anyone from the "mainland" without local ties. I do not want to scare anyone off, but I just want to put my perspective out there.

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Culture - 11/26/2008

Understanding & respecting the Culture plays a larger role in living in Hawaii.

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Very Expensive - 9/30/2008

I have lived in Hawaii all my life and the one thing that makes it the hardest to live here is, the cost of living. It is very expensive to just rent and it is becoming over populated which makes finding a place to live at a good price very hard. I'm looking for a new state and city to start a new life where I can actually afford to live on my own.

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Beautiful but EXPENSIVE! - 6/24/2008

Hawaii is a beautiful place but very expensive. A box of cereal and milk will cost you about $12.00. I'm married with two kids and we spend about $1,000 a month on groceries! The local people are not too friendly either especially if you are a caucasian.

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Check Out the View - 5/30/2008

Climate: great; Cost of Living: high; Crime: varies on location; Culture and Recreation: interesing, diverse, lots of things to do outdoors; Economy: dependent on tourism mostly, unemployment is low, wages are low in relation to cost of living; Education: school system needs a serious overhaul, low wages, poorly run administration due to lack of accountability (imagine how that trickles down); Health: the air quality on most of the Big Island is poor and a concern due to the particulate matter and sulfur dioxide (et al.) "vog" being released daily from the volcano, water quality is substandard to okay; Housing: gentrificatin is an issue, expensive overall in relation to wages; Politics: mostly ineffective (imagine how that trickles down); Quality of Life: 7/10; Religion: diverse; Transportation: really great in Honolulu, but you're car-dependent mostly everywhere else. With a little effort Honolulu could be a model "Green" city.

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Island life - 2/26/2008

Enjoy the wonderful climate, beautiful tropical plants, and sexy women

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Currently Enjoying Hawaii but.. - 2/13/2008

Of course there are things about living in hawaii that you just wont "get" until you take the tourist hat off, get a real job like any other working stiff and settle in to your tiny studio apartment that costs 1000/month (if your lucky) All that said, this is still paradise, and if you enjoy spending very close to 365 days of the year in mild heavenly weather (which I've decided is about 77 degrees with slight tradewinds) and enjoying the surf and turf. You will effectively end up justifying any of the simply ridiculous costs to live here. For one thing. lets not talk about expensive. Honolulu is a category all to its own. If you plan on living here (and your not a millionaire)you will ultimately have to survive by being channeled into one of the three renting options available (rent a home) (rent an aptment more likely) or find a roomate. Then promply get a Costco or Sam's club membership. Don't even bother driving its an exercise in futility. If you really wanna save yourself money just live in a proximity close enough to walk to work and back. For us, the car is for weekends and fun getaways. Also you may have to adapt to culture shock. Make no mistake Honolulu is more like a mixture of Hong Kong/Tokyo and Manilla than it is the united states. The best Advice I can get for really settling in is having a desire to enjoy and experience "local culture" (don't worry you'll find out) and understanding why they have the attitudes they do about non locals, "haoles" etc. BEsides that if your african american like me you might have trouble finding some basic amenities due to the fact that we represesent like what 6% of the population. In any case, the people are friendly (and in my opinion its a lot similar to the south I'm originally from NC) The key is respecting differnt cultures and you will be respected. Oh and dont be surprised if you go into a restaurant and no one speaks english.

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price to pay for paradise - 1/16/2008

It is a beautiful place to live but cost of living is very high.

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Great Place to Be Outside - 11/18/2007

Any time of year is a beautiful time of year here. Blue skies, warm waters, lush forests, majestic waterfalls - you name it, we've got it. Even snow.

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Missing Hawaii!! - 9/19/2007

Born & raised in Hawaii..now in Visalia, CA..Didn't appreciate the beautiful skies & air quality..and beautiful beaches until now!!

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Mean Folks - 9/12/2007

I've lived on Oahu and have visited the State of Hawaii since. It's OK to visit; it's a bad place to raise your family. Visit as a tourist, and just ignore the rudeness, envy, and the ethnic and racist responses by "locals." If you live here, do so without children, for they will be attacked in the schools, while the school administrations look the other way.

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Enjoying the Sun - 8/16/2007

The Weather in Hawaii is awesome. There is never a day that you can't go to the beach and enjoy, Even in the winter time it's possible to soak up some sun and enjoy the waters.

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Hawaii Real Estate - 6/29/2007

A life with natures luxuries of beaches, mountains and sceneries is offered in this islandic state of USA.

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