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I was born and raised on Oahu but lived most of my adult life on the mainland and we have moved back after twenty some odd years so I think I can speak from personal experience.
While it was nice to pile in the car and drive I often found it entirely too draining, so we ended up flying (which we can do from Hawaii!).
Since we have everything we need right here there is no reason to feel 'trapped'. Terrific entertainment, get togethers, medical treatment and just living our lives.
Transportation on Oahu for the disabled is by FAR superior to most of the places we lived while AD Army (important to us since I am wheelchair bound).
My husband's family have visited 12 times since late 2006- compare that to the three times we had his family visit when we lived in BFE (courtesy of the Army) over the twenty odd years on the mainland- no one wanted to visit us then but they are oh so eager to visit us in Hawaii!
It really depends upon the individual and their particular situations- so until someone actually lives here they cannot know if they will be affected.
"It's only an island if you look at it from the water" - Chief Brody, "Jaws"
I've been everywhere, man. I'm OK with no interstate driving. Drove east to west coast twice and north to south more times than I care to remember. That's enough.
Leaving at 6:30 from Mililani, it takes me about 45 minutes to get the Ala Moana Center- a little past downtown but not quite to Waikiki. About the same amount coming back at 3:45.
I wouldn't say it's bad as Chicago's, where I grew up, no. And during midday it is pretty much wide open except for H-1 right near downtown.
Having never been to Hawaii, I find it absolutely fascinating to think of big city rush hour traffic like that on a rock in the middle of the ocean. The waterfalls and beaches are beautiful, but I look forward to visiting Hawaii someday just to see what it's like to be in a big city in that very unique situation. Strange? :-)
I posted similar info on another thread, but will repost parts of it here as it is relevant.
Oahu is about 600 square miles in size. If it was a square, it would be about 24.5 miles x 24.5 miles. There are areas you can't live on due to it being mountainous, military installations, etc. and approximately 1 million people live on the island. Take a look around where you live now. If you could only drive 24.5 miles, then had to turn, drive another 24.5 miles and turn, continuing again until you completed a square; that's it; 600 square miles.... Do you understand the size better?
Hawai`i Island, aka the Big Island is about 6.5x larger than that. To compare "box sizes, it is about 4028 square miles and if it was a square, would be about 63.5 miles along each side of that box. That is a huge difference. I don't feel boxed in on the Big Island. I certainly would on any of the other islands.
Whenever I think of Hawaii, the only thought in my mind is that it must be hard to be trapped in one little area without the freedom to drive to different states easily. Yes I realize you could just hop on a plane, but that must be a hassle having to buy a plane ticket every time you want to go somewhere, rather than just driving your own car to the next state.
Do people in Hawaii feel like they are trapped in a box? I am not trying to be rude, just trying to understand a place I have never been to.
I lived on Oahu for 4 years, and never once felt restricted in any way. These are not little islets, but large islands.
I posted similar info on another thread, but will repost parts of it here as it is relevant.
Oahu is about 600 square miles in size. If it was a square, it would be about 24.5 miles x 24.5 miles. There are areas you can't live on due to it being mountainous, military installations, etc. and approximately 1 million people live on the island. Take a look around where you live now. If you could only drive 24.5 miles, then had to turn, drive another 24.5 miles and turn, continuing again until you completed a square; that's it; 600 square miles.... Do you understand the size better?
Hawai`i Island, aka the Big Island is about 6.5x larger than that. To compare "box sizes, it is about 4028 square miles and if it was a square, would be about 63.5 miles along each side of that box. That is a huge difference. I don't feel boxed in on the Big Island. I certainly would on any of the other islands.
the big island may be a lot bigger but has half as much stuff to do on oahu
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