PUNA AREA haWAII....any ideas????? (Hilo, Waianae: real estate, homes, subdivisions)

[GYPSYLU06]

hI
thinking about relocating to big island. Help....the Real estate lady seemed a little snobby saying that the area of Puna and Kau was bad?

My dad is from the big isalnd and we use to go every eyar when I was small. I dont remeber it being bad? can anyone local give me some suggestions on safe rual areas to live???
thanks
tracy
=-)

[hotzcatz]

Fly over and stay at a hostel or VRBO for several weeks, then you will be able to drive around to all the different areas and see them for yourself. "Safe" is a relative term, what might be safe for one person, someone else may not consider it safe.

The entire big island is rural. Even the towns of Kona and Hilo are somewhat rural in character.

[jeffkier]

where is the best closes surfing to the discovery golf course area? thanks

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

I don't surf, but I would imagine that the closest surfing is in the Kona area, which is about an hour and fifteen minutes from Discovery Harbour. There are closer beaches, but no surfing that I know of.

[SuburbanTraveler]

Anything can happen anywhere. Puna is very SAFE. With that said, you still have to practice common sense. lol

Just use common sense and respect others. In any area there will be people who may be up to no good. But it's pretty easy to avoid the danger elements by... *lets say it together*.. using common sense.

[alaskangrown]

The entire big island is rural.

Puna is NOT rural by any standards other than those from Orlando, San Fransisco or any other metropolitan city Most plots of land are only 3 acres, and there is access to any services in most areas, and certainly in Puna.

It's a good idea to drive around and check it out. I feel extremely safe here, and no one I know here has had any problems, but obviously it's possible. It makes me wonder what kind of person wouldn't feel "safe" in Puna...the same person that doesn't feel "safe" in their own home, I would guess?

I love it, it's terrific here. It's lush, green, quiet and friendly. Kau is a bit different, has vog, not very lush, but they have great views of the ocean, and are closer to Kona.

[islandboo]

I think Hawai'i Island is rural in terms of an area being described as either urban, suburban or rural. 3 acre plots are huge to most folks in my area where enormous McMansions sit on plots that are a third or half acre at best. I am not disparaging Puna - it is one of my favorite places in the world - but from the point of view of many mainland folk, especially those east of the Rockies, rural is an apt term.

[PacificFlights]

Iif you look at the Puna district of Hawaii island, it is a big area and when placed over Maui, Kaui and Oahu, would cover multiple districts on those island. You can cover almost half Oahu and all those districts with Puna alone.

I have not spent much time in the Puna area but I have seen some good areas and I have seen some really bad areas. You really need to see it for yourself. I know many on the Big island that wouldn't be caught dead in Puna, day or night, for fear of being dead. Some say that Puna makes Waianae look like Beverly Hills. I'm sure the residents will have a different view of the area, but I would have to say you need to be really careful because it's on the low end of the social and economy ladder. You can have nice homes with people living regular life style but you also lots of shacks with poop buckets and they think they are living the high life. Examine everything before jumping in because land prices are low.

[alaskangrown]

I know many on the Big island that wouldn't be caught dead in Puna, day or night, for fear of being dead

When we chatted with neighbors and new friends about safety, most just laughed. We have an older couple directly across from us, and the man said he always keeps a pistol next to his bed, 'just in case'. I'm pretty scared of him, I guess!

but I would have to say you need to be really careful because it's on the low end of the social and economy ladder.

What I see is two socio-economic groups coming together, and there is a lot of mistrust in that, and it makes both groups uncomfortable. You have people that are retiring here, coming from bigger cities, many from poorer parts of the country, and you have many younger people that bought low, live with less, are from a more prosperous part of the nation, came into money, or what-have-you. When you put people together that aren't used to having to face either prosperity or poverty, it creates tension. There is a "nice" part of Puna (closer to Pahoa, and Hilo) but it's really a mixed bag. I have a couple of McMansions in my subdivision, as well as many $150-300K homes, but there are empty Connexes on some empty lots, some trailers, some ramshackle cabins. Drive around any subdivision without CC&Rs, and you'll see a little bit of everything.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by PacificFlights

Some say that Puna makes Waianae look like Beverly Hills. I'm sure the residents will have a different view of the area, but I would have to say you need to be really careful because it's on the low end of the social and economy ladder. You can have nice homes with people living regular life style but you also lots of shacks with poop buckets and they think they are living the high life. Examine everything before jumping in because land prices are low.

Ironically, some folks that have homes in Beverly Hills also have homes in Puna. During the past decade, Puna has grown more economically diverse. There are millionaires with homes in Volcano, Kapoho, Leilani Estates, Hawaiian Paradise Park (HPP), Hawaiian Shores Recreational Estates (HSRE), and a few more subdivisions. There are also folks living in tents and on welfare in some of those same subdivisions.

Puna has a "Wild West" or "anything goes" reputation from years ago, that has stuck with it. If you don't like hippies, Rastafarians, and folks into "alternative lifestyles", Puna might not be for you. Conversely, if you're fairly tolerant and easy-going, Puna can be a "paradise." The current issue of "Islands Magazine" has an article that describes of the folks in Puna who have found their "paradise."