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I've lived here 30 years or so now. I like it here. The clean air, beaches, friendly people all make it worth the while. I have family here. I have a full-time job with benefits. My spouse has a full-time job with good benefits. We live in a decent area. I like my neighbors. They like us. Life is good. However, if I had to move from the Mainland now to Hawaii, it would be a totally different situation and the realities of that situation should be pointed out. If someone is asking on an internet message board what life is like in Hawaii, the person has to be prepared to hear a variety of answers. I agree that sometimes the answers given on CD tend to be more on the negative side but it's a reflection of the hard times in Hawaii.
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Originally Posted by Paradise Calling
The replies seem full of assumption. They speak only of what a person is giving up and how their life will change drastically. It's an insult to the person's intelligence. They know everything is more expensive. It's an obvious conclusion that life in Hawaii will entail some sacrifice.
Some of the posters who ask about moving to Hawaii don't realize that everything is more expensive. You may and that's great. Others don't. You can clearly see from some of the posts on this board that some of the original posters of a question aren't aware of the financial hardships that come with living in the 50th state. This forum might be their first attempt at researching a potential move to the Islands and so those realities should be pointed out. We're not here as an extension of the State's tourism department.
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Originally Posted by Paradise Calling
Those who can deal with the life there and the sacrifices will flourish. Those who cannot handle it will leave. Or maybe they'll stay and spend all of their time telling everyone how terrible it is there.
Easier said than done. It's not so easy to get up and leave either. It's expensive to ship things back to the Mainland. If a newcomer buys a home here he or she will have to sell it. This is not a good time to sell. They may be uprooting the children yet again. I have a friend that is moving to northern California. She owns an apartment in Waikiki. She can't get anyone to come to her Open House. It's going to cost her thousands of dollars to move back.
OP, we are planning to move to Hawaii next year, after seven years of planning and reading forums and LISTENING to what people had to say. We are lucky (also smart) that we bought our house in 2005 and when we move we will be retired. We got ourselves educated on the cost of living and what kind of income we'd need to live comfortably. We've also talked with people who have said the hardest thing about moving is missing family.
Yes, it is fun to pursue a dream, but what people are saying on the forum is that RIGHT NOW is not a good time for anyone to pick up the family and move to Paradise to follow a dream. Not if you don't hae enough money to sustain yourself for six months to a year while you are looking for a job, any job, to live on (or if you are independently wealthy or have a good retirement income). People who live there now can't find jobs and can't support themselves. While you may see that as being negative, it's the TRUTH.
Yes we love Hawaii and we would welcome anyone who shares the love of the culture and the people. But we wouldn't lie to you and tell you to come on over and expect to find a job and a place to live when we know that you can't.
Well, with a name of "Paradise Calling" we assume you are one of the ones who see Hawaii as "paradise" and haven't got a good handle on reality. Although, for all we know, you could think North Dakota is actually Paradise and are just accidentally on the Hawaii forum?
Failure to adapt and thrive is a personal issue, not an attribute unique to a particular location.
Both a red herring and completely overstated.
Hawai`i is different from ANY place on the mainland in a hundred different ways. Some of those ways are positive, some are negative. There are reasons that upwards of 40% of folks who move to Hawai`i from the mainland move back within two years.
some of quite frankly is ...I got mine but please, our islands are crowded enough, you shouldn't come, go away.
This is really how the majority of the posts come across to me.
"Hawaii is such an endless struggle. You'll never make it. Nobody will hire you if you're white. You wont know how to drive. People at the beach will fight you if you 'steal' their wave. Save your money for twenty years then think about it... Been living here three years with no intention to leave."
Aside from that sentiment, I think my favorite is the "I have been planning for so long, no you CANNOT just move to Hawaii with your meager savings!! I struggled for this! Who do you think you are to just decide you want to move there?!"
People are willing to accept different levels of comfort and sacrifice. People in their later years are likely not going to be keen on the idea of sharing housing or eating PB sandwiches when they have had a different lifestyle for the previous 15+ years. That's no reason to count out someone in their 20's who has no problem accepting those living conditions. I have friends who moved cross-country with literally nothing and lived in hostels rent free by cleaning the place. They were able to be in the place they wanted, when they wanted. They have fond memories and no regrets.
You only live once. You will only be young and adventurous once. If this move is something a person wants to do now, then I say let them.
As to my situation, out-of-state college tuition in Hawaii is cheaper than in-state tuition in Michigan. A shared room in Hawaii might be a couple hundred more, but getting rid of the car I would need to keep here is going to save me $300/month. I really feel the total costs of college and living expenses would even out in either location.
My name is a reference to Tahiti. I'm moving there after Hawaii.
Guam isn't quite as awesome as Hawaii, but its a lot easier to survive there. People who don't think they can afford Hawaii should take a look at it and give it consideration.
Yeah, that's it. I didn't realize someone would figure out the Grand Master Plan that all current residents of Hawaii have secretly agreed to.
The so called negativity isn't just on this forum. Go to the California subforums. Check out the San Francisco forum. San Fran is equally expensive to Hawaii. You don't see a plethora of posts saying "yes, please come down here. It's easy to find a job and make a living."
Paradise Calling, are you looking for honest input on moving to Hawaii, or were you looking for people to be "Yes'ers" and say everything is nice and rosy with a hint of springtime flowers?
You ask, you receive... You get what it is. You can ignore it or you can use it as valuable information. But if you expected lies, just ask for people to lie to you and tell you all is well in the Wonderful World of Oz.
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