So why people leaving? (Honolulu: how much, homes, to buy)

[Cheburashka]

after one or two years? It seems like all newcomers are so exited... just to leave soon after.
Other than cost of living, island fever and tourists, what else is driving people away?
Nice weather, clean city. Every city has some good and some bad sides. Anything specific about Honolulu?

[Livingood]

I can tell you why I'm leaving after five years, my kids are about to enter the school system...

[nelly40]

Originally Posted by Livingood

I can tell you why I'm leaving after five years, my kids are about to enter the school system...

Just curious as to how much worse the school system can be compared to the public schools on the mainland.

[TN2HI]

Originally Posted by nelly40

Just curious as to how much worse the school system can be compared to the public schools on the mainland.

It depends on where you are from and what you can afford. It depends on what you are looking for and how much time you are planning to invest in your children's education. Which, IMO, is the biggest problem here (and everywhere). Parents tend to depend on the teachers to do ALL the educating, which we simply cannot do. We need parent support and we need parents to push their children. Here, as anywhere, most parents don't give that much support, so it is up to the teachers. As far as differences, my classes are VERY LARGE here (35-39 in a class), so I just can't keep up with all of my students. As much as I try, there are just too many of them. Not sure about other schools on the islands, but I wish I had more technology to use in class. For my geometry students, a class set of TI-83 calculators would be very nice. As far as knowledge goes, my pre-algebra students know what a pre-algebra student should know. My geometry students have the skills that a geometry student should have. The problems that exist here exist everywhere. It's just my opinion; but from what I've seen, the problems in schools usually reflect the priorities of the community and the family.

[TN2HI]

Oh yeah... I also meant to say that I think people leave because they miss family and friends. It is hard to move to a new place anyway, but moving to a place where the only way to see friends and family is to buy a $900 plane ticket... most people can't afford to throw around that kind of money. So, it is easy to get "homesick".

[Cheburashka]

Thanks to all!
P.S. you can buy round trip ticket from Anchorage, Alaska for $314 as they advertise. Well it is never that little with all fees it comes to $600 average.

[Mar0]

I absolutely love it here but to me, the mainland still feels like home. I am on Kauai, so its a little bit different for me than for people living in Oahu, which has a larger city. Everyone has been so warm and generous, but I still feel like for the most part I have different interests from those who live here. I am not a surfer and most of my friends are, which slightly excludes me. Like I said i love everyone and so much that this island has to offer, but its hard to adjust from the east coast.

[floridadreamer]

I don't live in Hawaii, but since my sister is planning to move her family there next year, I am reading as MUCH as possible on here. I have however moved A LOT.

I feel that to truly enjoy living in a secluded place like Hawaii or Alaska, a person would to have immerse themselves in everything that it has to offer. No doubt, surfing isn't for everyone, but spending as much time outside as possibe of course. Oahu itself has tons of parks, beaches and nature preserves. If I lived in a place like that, I think I would pay for family to come and visit ME.....

This is just my two cents, but lack of cultural and island appreciation has to be what brings on a lot of the haole hate everyone talks about on here.

[hindsight2020]

"Haole hate" now you have to see the irony in that phrase lol

I second the travel issue, I am from PR and my family has the same problem. Any day of the year a round trip plane ticket to any major hub in the mainland runs you about 750 bucks. Unless you're glued to the internet ticket sites all day and have the flexibility to take the deal when it shows up, and don't mind connecting through Antartica then you can make it work. Island economics make it not worthwhile, everything is marked up because of the cost of importing about every single good you take for granted on mainland living. The economy is not diverse, housing, and utilities in particular, are through the roof, and then for a chain of islands HI is just so far off the west coast. It'd be a little easier if it was the Bahamas or the like.

Great place to do the tourist thing, not so great to make a life, and I'm from an island...

[Pharaoh07]

Originally Posted by floridadreamer

I feel that to truly enjoy living in a secluded place like Hawaii or Alaska, a person would to have immerse themselves in everything that it has to offer. No doubt, surfing isn't for everyone, but spending as much time outside as possibe of course. Oahu itself has tons of parks, beaches and nature preserves. If I lived in a place like that, I think I would pay for family to come and visit ME.....

Oahu secluded??! LOL Honolulu has been likened to NYC (don't know cuz I've never been to NYC), but there is a lot of traffic and a lot of people and way too many cars. I moved here a year ago, an outdoor FIEND, and while yes, Oahu does have a lot of parks, nature preserves etc., either you're in a tourist zone or a crowded park, all trying to enjoy the beauty together - or if you want to escape into the back country, it's on private land

I'm not saying anything bad about the island, I love it, I'm just frustrated with the overpopulation and the inability to access a lot of the places I want to see without getting a permit from a private party. Oh well, there are still some trails I can use without seeing another soul!