These Are The Only Two Options: Alaska or Hawaii (Ketchikan: transplants, real estate)

[warptman]

Originally Posted by tamtbell

philinak,
I got one for you. After 4 years of living in Northern NY I came to Alaska. Within about a year I had to have my radiator taken out in pieces because it had rusted through from all the salt!
That and the carpet on the driver side had started to be burnt through thanks once again to the salt!

How does aluminum rust? Radiators aren't steel.

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by NOTAM

its just not for me....and like i said for many reasons. and i am not saying it's bad. bottom line is, if you come from the mainland to the islands, you will be a haole kama'aina forever...you will never be "truly" accepted (i know this firsthand-my "ohana"/family has been there for over 25 years). from what i have heard from many (friends and coworkers who have lived in AK, and just general "feel" for the folks who live in Alaska thru this forum), that you are not labeled and doomed until eternity to be considered nothing but a cheechako...you may actually earn the right to be at least a semi-sourdougher.

there is alot of resentment and anger towards haoles/kama'ainas on the islands (and i cant say i blame the locals-i have seen how the influx of rich trust-fund kids and celebs and rich Japanese have changed Kaua'i). and no one can argue with me on this...its just a fact. the Sovereignty movement is strong. my family out there are only half-way respected out there after over 25 years because of what they do for a living (a much needed service, esp for locals). dont be fooled by the "aloha spirit"..they of course try to kiss up to da tourons cuz their economy is dependent on tourism. lots and lots or racism there. my family still encounters it IF they venture out to another part of the island where people dont know who they are..so they stay in their small town where they are "known".
in Alaska, it seems that you are treated as American. yes, you may be from the "outside", you may be labeled as from the "lower 48", but i did not encounter or see any of the hostility that i have witnessed/observed/encountered in my 47 years of vacationing (and a short time of residence) on Kaua'i.
it seems that Alaska locals will respect you if you simply are appreciative, dont litter, respect the land and people.
i am sure i have just ignited a whole bunch of comments, but i am telling it like as i see it.
and disclaimer, there are some good folks in the islands-even some locals and maybe even a few kama'ainas. of course, there are good folks everywhere. i just prefer to not live somewhere where you have pretty much zero chance of really integrating into their "society".
plus though both AK and HI are both expensive, you can hunt and fish in AK for substinence. in HI, its mostly fishing. the only hunting is boar (ugh). i missed the WILDLIFE when i lived in Hawaii. seeing feral chickens was about as exciting as it got (talking land animals now only)..boring boring. give me MOOSE, CARIBOU, BEAR, WOLVES, SEALS, WALRUS, SEA OTTERS, FOX...now THAT is exciting.

oh and highlife2...i could get into specifics but it would be very lengthy.

Rep to ya.

[Metlakatla]

We have quite a few guests come to POW every year from HI during the summer. They always bring us fresh pineapples and coffee. Very gracious people.

[NOTAM]

like i said, i am sure there are some good folks out there. if a local leaves the islands to go outside of their comfort zone and their local land to go vacation or visit the mainland or wherever, i would anticipate they would act very graciously.
what i am referring to is the attitude that newcomers to Hawaii have to overcome, and it takes a long time, if not a lifetime. of course, if you are, lets say, a rich woman from Los Angeles who moves out there and immediately "bonds" with other transplants, mingling together at art shows or charitable foundations, and just stay within your "mini-social circle" you might be able to insulate yourself to a certain degree, but i guarantee that she will encounter hostility quite often when dealing with service workers, whether it be the post office or Foodland or BigSave or the Menehune Mart, court house, or police dept.

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

We have quite a few guests come to POW every year from HI during the summer. They always bring us fresh pineapples and coffee. Very gracious people.

[Alaskapat528]

Met, I understand it is quite different when you live there.

[Metlakatla]

And they bring us chocolates, and tip my fish cutters with $100 bills.

It's a refreshing change from visitors from...some other places.

[NOTAM]

it REALLY is. people dont get it until they actually do it. heck, i thought i was gonna be "different". i had been visiting there for over 40 years, and after a divorce, i decided maybe the best thing for me is to move to be near family. i knew every square inch of that island, heck even knew some long-time residents, law enforcement etc. but oh boy was i treated totally different when i had that resident badge on, instead of the tourist badge. and omg, in all my years of working in the Emergency Room, i never ever experienced such a strong degree of hostility and resentment from patients towards this "haole" who moved to THEIR land. and here i was trying to save lives! wow.
and just so you know, i didnt come there to work in the ER with a holier than thou "im a hot shot ER nurse from da mainland" attitude. i have family there. i was humble and professional. i showed respect to my patients. i have worked in inner city county hospitals where i was a minority in a largely african-american area and also on the border of Mexico in the land of illegals, and NEVER encountered anything remotely close to the anger and disrespect that i did in Hawaii.
and another thing, the folks yall see coming to Alaska for fishing trips or adventures, are most likely not the most "commoners" of the islands. the poverty level prohibits them from taking such vacations. the cost of living is so high there. tent cities are everywhere (my family has been homeless several times in the past and lived in them). a large percentage of the locals have never left the islands.

Originally Posted by Alaskapat528

Met, I understand it is quite different when you live there.

[Metlakatla]

I know people who love it there. Everyone has their own reasons, I suppose. Funny how it goes...I've heard people say that they never felt as if they fit in on POW and others seem to fit in right when they arrive.

[naturesdreams]

Originally Posted by NOTAM

its just not for me....and like i said for many reasons. and i am not saying it's bad. bottom line is, if you come from the mainland to the islands, you will be a haole kama'aina forever...you will never be "truly" accepted (i know this firsthand-my "ohana"/family has been there for over 25 years). from what i have heard from many (friends and coworkers who have lived in AK, and just general "feel" for the folks who live in Alaska thru this forum), that you are not labeled and doomed until eternity to be considered nothing but a cheechako...you may actually earn the right to be at least a semi-sourdougher.

there is alot of resentment and anger towards haoles/kama'ainas on the islands (and i cant say i blame the locals-i have seen how the influx of rich trust-fund kids and celebs and rich Japanese have changed Kaua'i). and no one can argue with me on this...its just a fact. the Sovereignty movement is strong. my family out there are only half-way respected out there after over 25 years because of what they do for a living (a much needed service, esp for locals). dont be fooled by the "aloha spirit"..they of course try to kiss up to da tourons cuz their economy is dependent on tourism. lots and lots or racism there. my family still encounters it IF they venture out to another part of the island where people dont know who they are..so they stay in their small town where they are "known".
in Alaska, it seems that you are treated as American. yes, you may be from the "outside", you may be labeled as from the "lower 48", but i did not encounter or see any of the hostility that i have witnessed/observed/encountered in my 47 years of vacationing (and a short time of residence) on Kaua'i.
it seems that Alaska locals will respect you if you simply are appreciative, dont litter, respect the land and people.
i am sure i have just ignited a whole bunch of comments, but i am telling it like as i see it.
and disclaimer, there are some good folks in the islands-even some locals and maybe even a few kama'ainas. of course, there are good folks everywhere. i just prefer to not live somewhere where you have pretty much zero chance of really integrating into their "society".
plus though both AK and HI are both expensive, you can hunt and fish in AK for substinence. in HI, its mostly fishing. the only hunting is boar (ugh). i missed the WILDLIFE when i lived in Hawaii. seeing feral chickens was about as exciting as it got (talking land animals now only)..boring boring. give me MOOSE, CARIBOU, BEAR, WOLVES, SEALS, WALRUS, SEA OTTERS, FOX...now THAT is exciting.

oh and highlife2...i could get into specifics but it would be very lengthy.

Yes rep'd ya too

[NOTAM]

i have been thinking about this, and i think that "part" of the problem lies in simply the VERY small occupy-able land mass that the Hawaiian islands have, as opposed to the vastness of Alaska.
if i were a local, and saw all those rich folks from the mainland and Japan buying off just about every piece of real estate, and building, i would be somewhat resentful.
i remember the days when there were no traffic lights on the North Shore of Kaua'i. the days before there was a Costco or Barnes & Noble or Burger King. generification. yuppification.
i remember the days when the majority of the cars on the road were rusty ole jalopies. now the majority are rental cars or luxury cars driven by the Hollywood locals e.g. Pierce Brosnan, Sylvester Stallone etc.
there is so little land to begin with, and then you have folks with money snatching up prime island real estate, bringing up the prices.
when Hurricane Iniki hit and there was a lull of tourism for over a year, my family was probably the happiest. it was like they had "their" island back.
so sad.