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To validate Balad1 's reason for staying: yes Hawaiian real estate in general has taken a big dump. The cheapest houses are now on the BI. Places in Oahu are still way tooo expensive. He would probably stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars if he sold while the market was down.
As for my reason to staying in Hawaii, i've been dating a white guy for three years who was born and raised on the big island. He refuses to leave because he grew up here, has a job, and has family and friends here. I tried to reason with him:
1. He hates the beach and never goes, ever, i have to drag him, he splashes around for 15 min and then demands we get back in the car.
2. He never speaks to his parents save for the holidays
3. He doesn't like his job
The only upside is he has a great group of friends he grew up with here.
I argue, if he moves back to Texas with me we can have the luxuries a good city can provide, i always took them for granted, including free trash and recycle pick up, paved roads, our kids will have sidewalks to play on and decent public schools to attend, museums to visit , water that doesn't come from a catchment tank (this is highly unsanitary b/c most ppl don't have the $ to clean these tanks every yr like they should thus sometimes rats fall in and die or birds bath and deficate in the covers., which is why you only bathe in this water and don't drink it, your drinking water you have to haul in yourself from spigots located on the side of the road provided by the city.)
As i said before this is the reality of the puna district on the big island. Hilo has running water, but no sidewalks. Most people can't afford to buy a decent house in hilo, which is why they look for places in puna, the people who do live in hilo are mostly elderly people who bought their houses back in the 50's or 60's. Or children who have inherited their parents houses.
Hawaii is behind the mainland as it did not recieve statehood until 1959! It seems stuck in that era and the new generation of hawaiians are holding fast to their culture which is good but it means don't expect big changes anytime soon.
To adress ppl who are accusing me of bashing Hawaii inorder to discourage ppl from moving to these beautiful islands, i have no secret agenda of keeping these islands all to myself. i was not born nor raised here and have little attachment to these islands, i do however have pity on people of hawaiian decent who have little say on what will happen in the future as their islands become overrun, i hope they don't all end up looking like Oahu.
As for me, my boyfriend is the best man i've ever met (aside from my father) and i hope he decides to embark on a new adventure with me, we don't necessarily have to move back to my hometown but perhaps to a new place where we can both be happy.
I hope it works out for you; I've also got a place in Ka'u so I know what you mean about Puna living.
Thanks Balad1, Kauai seems nice if not more isolated, heard theres alot of chickens, mmm hulihuli chicken.
I would like to point out that people born and raised in Hawaii would NEVER EVER EVER under any circumstance (even if it was in an attempt to protect their islands) bash Hawaii. They are a very proud people with a rich culture.
I can see why some people dont like it here if you've grown up with all kinds of luxuries found in the mainland. I grew up with running water you can drink, electric and cable. I like where we live now, living on catchment. the water tank is covered so rats and birds dont die and sink to the bottom. we still have electric and cable (and the internet too, duh). yes things are more expensive, and I spend about 200 a month on gas with my 20 mpg suv. And I also like the fact that 65F is considered freeze ass cold and I can, and have been at the beach one minute and standing in snow 2 1/2 hours later. we have volcanos, rainforests, mountains, beaches and deserts all in a realative driving distance. I'm a big fan of the outdoors and like the idea that if all hell breaks loose I can still have water, food and shelter without relying on someone else. We do live on a dirt road but its only 3/4 of a mile from the newly paved main road. sure the only wendy's is a two hour drive away, but i can live with the mcdonalds, burger kings, taco bells and jack in the box 5 min from where I work. BTW I dont hate my job, I dont like the people I work for. the owner put a guy in charge (from the mainland!) and he's been firing all the managment and putting his friends in place (also from the mainland). so I like it here, expensive and inconvenient as it may be.
Honey, may i remind you that you work 6 days a week to survive here and enjoy sleeping in on sunday (your only day off) therefore you VERY RARELY enjoy the great outdoors. Last time we went up Mauna Kea we spent 1hr. driving and then 15 min freezing our ass at the visitors center, peeking through a few telescopes and then running back home because it was so boring and we had "been there done that" basicly once you've done everything here once its enough for a lifetime.
FYI to all out there, Hilo side of the BI has rocky beaches, like huge mammoth black volcanic rocks and cliffs. The good pretty sand beaches are on Kona side of the Island (info for your next vacation).
I can see why some people dont like it here if you've grown up with all kinds of luxuries found in the mainland. I grew up with running water you can drink, electric and cable. I like where we live now, living on catchment. the water tank is covered so rats and birds dont die and sink to the bottom. we still have electric and cable (and the internet too, duh). yes things are more expensive, and I spend about 200 a month on gas with my 20 mpg suv. And I also like the fact that 65F is considered freeze ass cold and I can, and have been at the beach one minute and standing in snow 2 1/2 hours later. we have volcanos, rainforests, mountains, beaches and deserts all in a realative driving distance. I'm a big fan of the outdoors and like the idea that if all hell breaks loose I can still have water, food and shelter without relying on someone else. We do live on a dirt road but its only 3/4 of a mile from the newly paved main road. sure the only wendy's is a two hour drive away, but i can live with the mcdonalds, burger kings, taco bells and jack in the box 5 min from where I work. BTW I dont hate my job, I dont like the people I work for. the owner put a guy in charge (from the mainland!) and he's been firing all the managment and putting his friends in place (also from the mainland). so I like it here, expensive and inconvenient as it may be.
Swatjoue, sorry but I don't think your BF is going to be leaving anytime soon
Boxcar - that's a GREAT chart! I think you should post that in the Community forum as a stand-alone thread. Everyone could use that.
One thing I think many are missing in this conversation about cost of living is glaringly obvious on the chart Boxcar gave us: Some of the people on here who are saying they don't find Hawaii expensive are from other expensive states. If you are moving to Hawaii from California or Alaska, you won't go into sticker shock at the grocery store. If you are moving there from Iowa, you might.
Also - I don't read most of the cautionary advice as negativity or "stay away from my paradise." Some people are disgruntled and expressing it here. Most of the posts are just - "Dude, you move here, you can't drive home when it doesn't work" kind of advice. We are the only state (if you exclude the territories of Puerto Rico and Guam) where you can't just get on a bus or rent a U-haul and get the heck outta dodge when the going gets tough.
Most of the posters on here really ARE trying to be helpful. I'm one of them who cautions people frequently not to move to Hawaii - especially without a job or a place to live. I'm not trying to keep them out of "my paradise" -- I'm being helpful. I had a career and made good money there, and when 9/11 hit, it almost tanked my company. I'm speaking from experience.
Most of the cautionary notes RIGHT NOW are due to the highest unemployment the state has faced in decades, a drop in visitors, and the dirty little secret that Hawaii people know: it's Federal Funding that is keeping Hawaii afloat. As our own Federal government flails around, that money may not be there to save us forever. Hawaii politicians are notoriously short-sighted. Traffic just keeps getting worse, and nothing is being done. I think we are now on the 10th "Study" in two decades. Money keeps going for the studies, taxes keep being collected on Oahu for mass transit, and the wrangling continues.
So the tone you pick up here is one of frustration, occasional hopelessness, and sadness that our beautiful Hawaii nei just isn't doing so well. If that seems too negative to a newcomer or someone who wants to move there, Oh Well. Do what you want to do. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
Because, at the end of the day, it's the people, the sunsets, the warm air, the fragrant smells, and Koolaus that sing in our hearts every night. Tomorrow we'll wrestle the traffic and craziness again.
Thanks Balad1, Kauai seems nice if not more isolated, heard theres alot of chickens, mmm hulihuli chicken.
I would like to point out that people born and raised in Hawaii would NEVER EVER EVER under any circumstance (even if it was in an attempt to protect their islands) bash Hawaii. They are a very proud people with a rich culture.
Huh?
~ not true
~ what do you characterize as "bashing?"
~ and who is "they" - there are a lot of "born and raised in Hawaii" people of many races and many mixed races. My kids were all born and raised in Hawaii (and are part-Hawaiian) -- and they'd be on this site giving about the same advice as me (which I don't consider bashing) ... so...
I'll say it again... People are people. No matter where they are born, where they are raised, where they are living. Not ever possible to make a statement about "they."
Oh - and BTW... Your BF is NOT leaving. You need to make a decision. He is buried up to his knees in Lava. The mainland ISN'T better for him. But it sounds like it's better for YOU. Be fair and make a decision for yourself. Life is way to short to spend in a place you don't want to be.And if you hate it that much in Hawaii, think how much he will hate it in Texas. Not fair.Make your own decision. If can, can. If no can, no can. Life goes on.
R_cowgirl- spot on with the federal funds- we are facing the very same dilemma here in Alaska. Our saving grace ( or not...) is oil money, and without it, we would be effed. I always giggle when Alaskans talk about ceding from the states, because without federal funds, we wouldn't have roads, education or law enforcement. All the villages would literally collapse, people would just freeze to death. It would be like Mad Max, but really cold and dark. And with bears.
Hawai'i, if I'm not mistaken, exclusively relies on federal funds for huge farming subsidies, education and roads. And yet on almost every thread, people talk about wanting to cede from the US....
R_cowgirl- spot on with the federal funds- we are facing the very same dilemma here in Alaska. Our saving grace ( or not...) is oil money, and without it, we would be effed. I always giggle when Alaskans talk about ceding from the states, because without federal funds, we wouldn't have roads, education or law enforcement. All the villages would literally collapse, people would just freeze to death. It would be like Mad Max, but really cold and dark. And with bears.
Hawai'i, if I'm not mistaken, exclusively relies on federal funds for huge farming subsidies, education and roads. And yet on almost every thread, people talk about wanting to cede from the US....
You are correct, Hawaii is a benefit state meaning that it gets more in $ from the federal government than is collected in fedreal taxes.
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and decent public schools to attend, museums to visit 
, water that doesn't come from a catchment tank (this is highly unsanitary b/c most ppl don't have the $ to clean these tanks every yr like they should thus sometimes rats fall in and die or birds bath and deficate in the covers., which is why you only bathe in this water and don't drink it, your drinking water you have to haul in yourself from spigots located on the side of the road provided by the city.) 
Last time we went up Mauna Kea we spent 1hr. driving and then 15 min freezing our ass at the visitors center, peeking through a few telescopes and then running back home because it was so boring and we had "been there done that" basicly once you've done everything here once its enough for a lifetime. 
