Another mainlander moving to Hawaii (Honolulu, Hilo: transfer, schools, living)

[Michelle1210]

Hi Room
We will be moving to Hawaii in a year, My husbands grandparents lived there and every year my husband went for the summer, we will be soon living his dream of returning to Hawaii. He has mentioned Hilo and many other places.

My husband isn't quiet sure what Island to land on as he loved each and everyone of them, He works for the carpenters union and is looking to transfer and I work for Walmart and hopefully I can transfer.

We are a mixed family I'am mexican/Hispanic and he is Irish, I was told there are many ethnics groups on the Island, How is the hispanic population?

I would love to join a Christian church there and find a highschool for my son. I'm active socially......and love being around people.

Thankyou so much
~Michelle

[katie45]

Hi Michele, I don't live in HI, but was just checking out the forum for HI and saw your posting. Oh, how I envy you and your husband moving to Hawaii!! I visited Oahu and Kaui back in the 70's and have never gotten it out of my system!

I am sorry that I can't answer your questions about churches and schools.

Again, just dropped in to say Aloha!!!

(Oh, I am originally from CA, but am land-locked now in Kansas!!)

[Jungjohann]

Hilo is a very nice, laid back kind of town. I had a place there a few years back above the old municipal golf course. Quiet, lots of rain, and bugs like you could not believe! Out past the Iron bridge are some nice areas as well. Best of luck. Having personally dealt with the Hawaii Carpenters Union Local 745 I would highly recommend that your husband be very certain that he has a job with them before making the move.Of all the jobs that I have done throughout the state, I don't recall ever seeing a mainlander union rep. The last haole guy that I know of who was a union rep is now in the federal witness protection program!!! I don't mean to startle you, but that is a fact. I'm sure Kolohe has better advice as to housing than I.

Aloha and okolemaluna

[ulikebiff]

Originally Posted by Jungjohann

Hilo is a very nice, laid back kind of town. I had a place there a few years back above the old municipal golf course. Quiet, lots of rain, and bugs like you could not believe! Out past the Iron bridge are some nice areas as well. Best of luck. Having personally dealt with the Hawaii Carpenters Union Local 745 I would highly recommend that your husband be very certain that he has a job with them before making the move.Of all the jobs that I have done throughout the state, I don't recall ever seeing a mainlander union rep. The last haole guy that I know of who was a union rep is now in the federal witness protection program!!! I don't mean to startle you, but that is a fact. I'm sure Kolohe has better advice as to housing than I.

Aloha and okolemaluna

hi Jung,

Hilo is starting to pick up as a drug infested location.

I think the best place to live would be Manoa Valley in Honolulu. Not only is it cool but a lot of firemen and policemen live up there. Very safe and friendly. You can view almost everything Honolulu has from the top and also sunsets.

Go to Google Maps and check it out.

Aloha dude!

[TABASCOCAT7]

I have to say Kaui is nice and quite they have a wal-mart chickens running around all over the place.It was great.GOOD LUCK!

[Jungjohann]

Biff,
Haven't had a place in Hilo since 2000 or so, so I may be rather out of touch with the area. Thought the major druggy areas were Puna and Kau? Of course the meth problem here on Maui seems to be on the increase, pretty sad. As far as Oahu is concerned, I still have a great Aloha for Nuuanu, quiet, close to downtown, but kind of country all at the same time. If I were starting up business on Oahu again, that's where I would be.

Aloha and okolemaluna

[Michelle1210]

Originally Posted by Jungjohann

Hilo is a very nice, laid back kind of town. I had a place there a few years back above the old municipal golf course. Quiet, lots of rain, and bugs like you could not believe! Out past the Iron bridge are some nice areas as well. Best of luck. Having personally dealt with the Hawaii Carpenters Union Local 745 I would highly recommend that your husband be very certain that he has a job with them before making the move.Of all the jobs that I have done throughout the state, I don't recall ever seeing a mainlander union rep. The last haole guy that I know of who was a union rep is now in the federal witness protection program!!! I don't mean to startle you, but that is a fact. I'm sure Kolohe has better advice as to housing than I.

Aloha and okolemaluna

Jungjohn,
Thank you for responding,
The union hall here is saying to the guys Hawaii is hurting for guys....so yeah we will be sure he is hooked before we live,.
About the rain yeah we live in the rain forest in Washington state we average about 50 days of sun, we have problems with deer , coyotes. I don't think I want the bugs, but I know that comes with the territory. We also have a meth problem here I think its about everywhere now.
Who is Kolohe? How long have you lived in Hawaii?

[Michelle1210]

Originally Posted by TABASCOCAT7

I have to say Kaui is nice and quite they have a wal-mart chickens running around all over the place.It was great.GOOD LUCK!

walmart chickens?

sounds like my kind of place

[cynmkolohe]

Hi Michelle,

It sounds as if you will have a few forces directing your possible move: your husband's possible job opportunities as well as where you will find store locations that may work for you....

I've lived on Oahu and now live on the Big Island...and love both for different reasons. For us (my SO and me--others will have different opinions, I'm sure), Kauai and Maui are "destination" islands. We love to visit, but have never considered a move to either. Kauai would probably be an option if we could afford comparable housing there as well as being able to travel more than we can now (Kauai is a pretty low-key place), but we tend to think of it as being the most expensive of the islands.

Hilo is an older town with a definite personality. It is something that you notice right away when visiting. I did when I first came here years back as a tourist. It feels a little time-worn, but things are changing. There are new buildings and some renovations under way, and a downtown improvement association that is making baby steps in brightening up the area. It will take time, but as the population grows and when the new judicial building is completed, I think we will continue to see postive changes.

I wouldn't say that Hilo has any more of a drug problem than other areas you might compare it to on Oahu, especially when you are focusing on the more "affordable" areas of Oahu. There are pocket problem areas on both islands. Exercising caution in certain parts of Puna and Kau is wise, of course. But I don't think much about it on a day-to-day basis in Hilo. Both my SO and I have lived in larger cities on the mainland and nothing we have seen here compares with some of our experiences there. He, in particular, is quite content to be away from some of the experiences he had to deal with in Chicago.

You will find plenty of options for churches on both islands. No worries there!

Please let me know if there are other questions I can answer for you about the Big Island. It has been a while since I lived on Oahu, so my observations about that island are very general and based more on memory than what is happening now!

All the best to you as you prepare for your move,

Aloha,

Cynthia (cynmkolohe)

[Jungjohann]

Michelle,
I came to Maui in 1975 on a paid vacation, never returned to the mainland. I was just a kid, 23 years old, had no idea about what Hawaii was all about, but had an open mind. Ended up tending bar at Keawekapu Beach, the old Maui Outrigger, met a number of local guys, and we had a kind of unwritten agreement, every third beer was free for my Hawaiian bruddahs! Seeing as there were only 5 bars in Kihei at the time, I had a pretty solid following, and never had any pilikea. Ended up being adopted, Hawaiian style, by the Akina family, one of the larger Hawaiian families in the state.
As far as Local 745 is concerned, there is probably going to be a mass exodus of carpenters leaving the islands in the next year or so, the housing boom is on the verge of going bust. Best of luck!

Aloha and okolemaluna