Waianae . . . Worth Considering? (Honolulu, Kaneohe, Ewa Beach: for rent, condos, violent crime)

[oahu-dreaming]

Hi,

We're scouting out places on Oahu for our retirement. We know we want suburban living, not the urban jungle on Honolulu. We want affordability and ocean access, two criteria that clash.

One option is Waianae, which seems to be quite affordable. Please tell me what you know about this community, both the good and the bad.

Mahalo!

Rob

[Outlook]

I know some folks who thought they way you did. Waianae is very much affordable when you compare to other areas. They lived there about a year before they moved. House broken into twice while they were at work (by the way ... burglary is the state sport here) They stole their car one just once outside their house. Now you know why they moved. Theft is very prevalent here. Some places are better than others though. You decide.

Not much violent crime here. Killings are rare. Bruddahs get drunk/high - get into an argument and stab each other.

However, as far as theft goes ... the crooks will steel it even if it IS nailed down.

Cheers
Out

[oahu-dreaming]

Outlook, it sounds like you live there. Thanks for sharing.

Are there other places to consider that are reasonably affordable but not crime-ridden?

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by oahu-dreaming

Are there other places to consider that are reasonably affordable but not crime-ridden?

Depends on your definition of "reasonably affordable".

Suggestion:

Put this link in your browser, and put the following towns in the search box, one at a time. You could also put your definition of "reasonably affordable" in the max box:

oahu apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

Kaneohe, Waialua, Kahaluu, Heeia, Ewa.

When you find something that looks possible, find it on this map, and ask here what the commute will be:

oahu - Google Maps

Hank

[oahu-dreaming]

I love the Kaneohe/Kailua area, but it is probably too expensive for us.

Ewa/Ewa Beach/Kapolei prices come closer to what we can afford. I have heard that traffic into Ewa is terrible and that they have the same crime problems that Outlook says plagues Waianae. Your thoughts/

[oawho]

Waianae is more affordable because it's more remote and feels a little more rough around the edges. Just drive up Farrington Highway towards Waianae to see the tents pitched up on the beaches, the rundown houses, shuttered stores. My impression is that it feels somewhat neglected. I like some parts of the area, the people I've run into are nice, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there. There are some newer housing developments there (like Sea Country) but to me, its still not worth it.

Ewa Beach is more suburban, but it has that traffic bottleneck of having that 1 road (Fort Weaver Rd) going in and out. They're building another H1 offramp to possible alleviate this.

I'd suggest probably giving up the beach access for more comfort, maybe? Kapolei is a nice alternative.

[eureka1]

If you're retired you should be able to avoid the rush-hour traffic. Agree that Kapolei might be just right. Good luck!

[dmoon808]

kapolei or makaha. makaha is as far into waianae as u can get. its somewhat the light at the end of the tunnel. there are two golf courses and some very nice beaches. alot of older folks retire there. there are a few condos in the area...

[oahu-dreaming]

Thanks, everyone.

I'd like to hear even more opinions!

[TXLara]

Ewa is really horrible for traffic. Really bad. Sometimes Ft. Weaver is backed up FOR NO REASON at weird times, like 9pm. And you do have to be a little choosy about where you live, because some of the neighborhoods aren't bad, but some are kinda shady.

Waianae. I really don't recommend moving there. I've lived in some low-income areas in my younger years, but I've never seen anything like the transient camps up in Waianae. Most of the stores have bars on the windows. It's just not somewhere I felt comfortable. YMMV.

Kapolei is very nice. Ko Olina is close to a beach, I believe. That doesn't seem too bad either.

Waimanalo...you'd have to find the right area. Hawaii Kai is probably out of your price range if Kailua/Kaneohe are. But keep checking, because every once in a while, you will see a great deal in one of those places. Check out Kaaawa or Punaluu. I don't know what those run, but they're worth looking into.

That's all I got for ya.