Makaha (Honolulu, Waipahu, Waipio: apartment, condos, new house)

[tazone]

I have a friend looking at moving from California to Makaha, he is looking for any feedback he can get from people familiar with the area.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by tazone

I have a friend looking at moving from California to Makaha, he is looking for any feedback he can get from people familiar with the area.

I highly recommend visiting Makaha for an extended amount of time before deciding to move there. For the most part, Makaha is fairly "ghetto" and quite a few "houseless" folks live on the beach there. In addition, commuting to Honolulu from Makaha is nightmarish. Otherwise, it's one of the more affordable areas of O'ahu and it has its own unique beauty.

[cynmkolohe]

When I was teaching on Oahu, I spent many weekends with friends at the Makaha Valley Towers http://www.makahavalleytowers.org/ and enjoyed the time I spent there. That said, I second Jonah K... Do not move to this area without spending time researching it and living the experience. The beaches are beautiful, the hiking amazing. But a day trip is a world away from trying to settle into the community and make a life there. Highly advise caution and an extended visit.

[pj737]

Makaha can be a wonderful or scary place. Makaha, Waianae and Nanakuli are all located in the most depressed area on Oahu. My father, who is retired, lived in one of the beach front condos there for a few years. He didn't mind it, in fact he enjoyed it for the most part. I just couldn't stand it out there. If you are fine living in an area with a much higher than average density of non-educated, homeless, lazy, welfare receipients, that generally don't work and breed like rabbits, you will be fine. I for one cannot handle these types of people so I stay as far away as possible. It's unfortunate because the beaches out there are beautiful. The beach hike is especially nice and can't be missed if you move out here, regardless of where you decide to live.

[molihua641]

I would run like the wind away from Makaha. It's ghetto, dirty, and if you are non-local (white especially), unsafe. Just this past March there was a murder at one of the apartment buildings I think it was because someone tried to rob a cockfighting game. If the feel of paradise and island life is what you are looking for, I would look on the North Shore past Haleiwa (can be a little expensive). Waikele is also nice but depending on where you are there is noise from the highway (not terrible though). The grocery store, clothing stores (outlet), Starbucks, Borders, KMart, and gas stations are near by (within 5 mins). There is a elementary school and running paths within the neighborhood.

Waipio Gentry is down the street from Waikele and has basically the same features of Waikele, its just a little cheaper. Some have said their cars were broken into but I never had that problem and this is an extremely rare occurance.

Mililani is an excellent place to check out. Same features as the places I mentioned above (I don't know if they have a running path but you could go in the neighborhood). There's a movie theater, two or three grocery stores, Walmart, and the housing is very nice.

Kailua is another good place. Best windsurfing, Lanikai beach (constantly on the top 10 beaches of the world list), and a neat shopping plaza with some fairly good restaurants. Grocery stores, etc. One of my favorite parts of the island.

Downtown Honolulu/Waikiki area is fun if you are single. The bars, clubs, restaurants are nearby and its the main hub for all us lonely people. There is alot of housing just its expensive, small, and provide very little no parking (both private and street).

Visit Makaha for about 5 mins and be very very friendly so you don't get shot (j/k) and then turn around and make your trek back.

Hope this helps!!

[MsHell]

Originally Posted by tazone

I have a friend looking at moving from California to Makaha...

Is there a specific reason he picked Makaha? If he wants to go to that side of the island, he might want to consider Maile, which is close to Makaha. Maile has new houses being built and are decent prices (for Hawaii).

[kani-lehua]

i think mshell is referring to "Ma'ili" which is close to Makaha.

[Mykals Wahine]

Makaha is ok if you can deal with living in the hood. The locals are very private, not very friendly and don't take kindly to strangers. You will occasionally see signs that say "Welcome to Makaha, now go home." More racism on this side of the island than in the south US. It's very far from everything and the commute into town is a killer. However, the City just started a commuter boat called theBoat that runs in the AM and PM to and from Aloha Tower. That's pretty cool. The same for Maili.

[DDane]

Originally Posted by tazone

I have a friend looking at moving from California to Makaha, he is looking for any feedback he can get from people familiar with the area.

There are other similar places to try.

Waipahu Aniani Street.
Waianae Valley Road
Maile Point Beach park
Aala Park
Palama settlement: Mayor wright

[apples1020]

I don't know if anyone who has posted so far has ever actually lived in Makaha... I have and I loved it. It is in many ways one of the most beautiful places on the island. It's the first place I lived when I moved to Hawaii, and I miss it quite a lot. I'm white, and I used to hitchhike home from the makaha beach park or ka'ena point on a regular basis. Nothing bad ever happened. Locals are mostly friendly. I even got a ride from one of the so called "lazy welfare recipients" living on the beach. He was super nice, full of the "aloha spirit" and saved my dehydrated okole a long walk home.

There are shanty towns or tent cities on several leeward side beaches, generally a bit off the beaten track, such as past Makaha but before Yokohama. Housing prices are out of control here, and many families and otherwise decent folk have been forced to live on the beach after not being able to keep up with rising rents. That said, there are also a number of meth addicts.

I should qualify my love for the leeward side by saying a few things:

I moved there with a local boy, so my experience is colored by being more "a part of" because I was with a local guy and attached to a family. After we split up I moved into town because I wasn't totally comfortable being a white girl living out there by myself. And it is FAR AWAY from town. (TheBoat was not around then.) This said, I still think about moving back. If not for the commute, I would do it.

We also lived in the towers, which is the only place I can recommend living. They have security, gated entry, and it's a beautiful location. Never had to worry about safety up there. Certainly no cockfights. Other places are not necessarily as comfortable after dark.

Speaking of which, we didn't go wandering at night beyond going to the store. We went down to the beach at night a few times, but I generally wouldn't totally recommend it. The times when racial tension comes alive in the form of violence are usually after people have been drinking. So I chose to stay away from the beach at night, just because rowdy drunk kids are never a great idea.

However, I have seen mainland-local fights break out on the beach in Lanikai (a really wealthy area on the windward side) in the afternoon. Everyone was drunk in that situation, but it goes to show that problems can spring up everywhere from time to time.


Makaha gets a bad rap. I don't think it's deserved. I have heard from my ex that Nanakuli is a "whole different story," but he may just be biased towards the area he grew up in.

Living among locals, it'll be good for your friend to know that there is a benefit to being respectful, being friendly, not staring, taking time to talk story. I used to run into people walking in the valley or at a bus stop, and they would just chat with you about whatever was going on. (Shark spotting at the beach. Where are you going? Where are you coming from? Whatever...) That will not happen to you living in Honolulu. To me, the leeward side is the most true to "Hawaii" of all of Oahu.