"Great place to visit, terrible place to live." (Honolulu: rental car, real estate)

[ComfortablyNumb]

I am thinking about moving to Hawaii because I hear its an incredibly chill place to live for those who just want to enjoy life and spirituality, but everyone who I've talked to that has lived there has always told me that they loved it, but they wouldn't move back.

Do any of you have any comments on this? Could a history major with a good work ethic make it in Hawaii?

[hothulamaui]

Hawaii is a great place to live. more people never want to leave than the other way around. it is very expensive, things cost way too much. jobs are few and far between and pay very poorly. like living in a very small town some people yearn for more things to do. for many of us the hardships that come with life here are well worth the rewards of being here. keep an eye on the newspapers for jobs and info on what it cost for a place to live. an extended visit is always good so you can get a feel for the place to see if it suit you.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Could someone let me know a bit about island culture? What are the main islands, and how do people generally see them? How do you travel from one to the other? What is it like living on an island in the middle of a giant ocean?

[hotzcatz]

How do we know how folks see the islands when we live on them?

To get from one island to the other we fly on the plane which last weekend was $150 round trip from Oahu to the Big Island. Then there is the rental car to add into the cost of a trip as well as hotel accommodation if you don't have family or friends to stay with. Between Maui and Oahu there is a ferry service although it costs about the same as the plane, I believe. More scenic but takes longer.

What sort of jobs do history majors get? Are they available in Hawaii? Most folks around here only care about Hawaiian history but maybe they can expand their horizons. Most jobs are service jobs since we have no manufacturing, very little agriculture and not much economy other than tourism. Low paying jobs in the middle of desirable real estate pretty much means the working folks around here are scrabbling even during the best of times. Considering how much of a decline tourism has been lately unless more folks start signing up for Hawaiian vacations then some of our population will be relocating to the mainland to find work.

As far as living here, Oahu has the most "stuff". Jobs, houses, people, museums, parts suppliers, hospitals (and even then it can take six weeks to get an appointment) etc. If you want any sort of organized entertainment such as opera, concerts, theatre, etc., most of it is on Oahu. Oahu has all the upscale stores and more than one choice of things that are available. Living on what some folks call the "outer" islands - Maui, Kauai, Hawaii, Lanai & Molokai there are less services and things available. I listed those in descending order of which islands have more services available. There is also Niihau and Kahoolawe but you can't visit Niihau or live on Kahoolawe. The outer islands have very limited shopping, employment, entertainment or even services available to the houses. So if you don't mind living without a lot of the stuff you may be accustomed to and don't mind things taking a long time to get done, then you may like living here.

[whynot?]

Very well put, hotzcatz (as usual)! It's not exactly like Honolulu/Oahu is the center of the universe, but in a referential way it -- kind of -- is. Because we are islands, we do not have the seamlessness that the mainland has -- for casual travel, for healthcare, and for dozens of other things that are taken for granted when one may drive (v. have to fly or take a limited ferry) for.

Even the touristy mecca of West Maui where I live (v. hotzcatz's more "local" Big Island abode) lacks certain things that mainlanders might take for granted: a hospital less than an hour away, more than one highway route to an airport, port, or other major commercial zone.

When I read words like "chill" and "spirituality," it's not that I can't relate to them a la living in Hawaii. It's just that I want to add an asterisk (*) for "with certain qualifications."

After several years of living here (after many more of living on the east coast), the essence of living in Hawaii is more Zen koan than Japanese haiku.

[ComfortablyNumb]

I did some searching and could find nothing but a few vague comments. If I were to move to Hawaii, what is the "culture" there? Is it rasta-ish? What if I don't like sandals, and prefer to wear jeans over shorts? Would I be looked upon as mentally unstable?

What if I'd prefer to kayak or row rather than just sit on the beach?

Any input would be appreciated. It is 18 degrees in Wisconsin right now so I just know that I need to get out, and the sunbelt cities don't do it for me one bit... way too sprawly,

[Angel Bear]

I visited 2 islands for 2 weeks recently...It's super laidback there...Anything goes. I myself don't really give much thought to what others think about me or how they may judge me. I'm just loving and I notice I attract all kinds of nice, loving folks. That was the case when I visited Hawaii. People were genuine, kind, and friendly. They didn't comment on what I wore. We had meaningful conversation there

[Mililani Gal]

With the humidity long jeans may get uncomfortable. I've seen many people wear those long jean shorts but often it's when they're dining at a restaurant.

As a "native" Hawaii is pretty laid back. I'm not sure what "rasta-ish" means, but it's pretty much do what you like (as long as it's legal and respectful of others). People kayak and and "row" but it's called paddling a canoe out here. We have many canoe paddling clubs with non-locals. Check them out. There's also hiking, shopping, movies, couch-potating, beach activities, camping, etc.

Small island, but great place to live (if you can afford it). Just an FYI, 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 750 sq ft apartments in central oahu (Mililani Town) is running about $1300/mo. Takes 1 hour to get into downtown honolulu during rush hour. 30 minutes if you have 3 people and use the "zipper lane."

[hotzcatz]

The culture changes from island to island and place to place. What is cultural in Honolulu is different than what is cultural in Pahoa. Pahoa is the rasta-ish/hippie sort of vibe place and Honolulu is a lot more edgy and modern. There are all sorts of things in between including cowboy which is called "paniolo" around here. Overall, though, the islands are a lot more forgiving of folks not being exactly like their neighbors.

You can pretty much wear whatever you like and folks won't get too bent out of shape about it. There used to be a fellow in Waikiki who liked to parade around in women's swimsuits but that's Waikiki. Folks are almost expected to act oddly there. Wouldn't wearing jeans over shorts be kinda uncomfortable? Just jeans by themselves would be enough we don't usually layer clothing here since it doesn't get that cold. Even jeans are a bit heavy sometimes but folks still like to wear them.

You don't have to wear sandals (slippers) if you don't want to but when visiting folks it is considered polite to leave your shoes at the door so something that slips off easily is what many folks choose to wear. After awhile you may like slippers, it gives you a chance to do your toenails in interesting colors and get toe rings, too.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Well, compared to what I'd expect in Washington/California (the other places I was thinking) 1,300 for a 2BR definitely isn't too terrible. I'd probably be looking more for a 1BR or a studio, most likely. One of my friends lived in O'ahu for a year and told me that air conditioning isn't necessary as it never gets below 70 or above 80. Then again, us Wisconsinites are from the land of negative winters and 90+, ridiculously humid summers.

The thing I am most worried about, actually, is medical care. I lost my left foot in a car accident when I was in high school (hence not wanting to wear sandals or shorts), and I'm just not sure what to expect in that regard. Since there is a major naval base, I'd assume there has to be something there. I'd also hope the people in Hawaii would generally be accepting of me, something I know is a problem in many asian cultures.

Also, do you "feel" the fact you are actually on a tiny island in the middle of a gigantic ocean? Is there a sort of isolating feeling like that?