Where to live near Schofield Barracks (Honolulu, Wahiawa: crime, hotel, home) - Includes Honolulu - City-Data Forum

quiltkat · 05-26-2011, 09:59 PM

My daughter is a new 2LT and just arrived for her first assignment at Schofield Barracks. She would prefer to live on post, but is currently number 40 on the waiting list so is looking off post for housing. She is also the single mother of a 2-year old, so she needs someplace safe and accessible. Any suggestions on places to look? Wahiawa looks like the closest place, but maybe not the best? Ewa Beach seems to be affordable, but she has heard that the commute is bad? We'd appreciate any wisdom you can share.

mdgilmore · 05-26-2011, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quiltkat

My daughter is a new 2LT and just arrived for her first assignment at Schofield Barracks. She would prefer to live on post, but is currently number 40 on the waiting list so is looking off post for housing. She is also the single mother of a 2-year old, so she needs someplace safe and accessible. Any suggestions on places to look? Wahiawa looks like the closest place, but maybe not the best? Ewa Beach seems to be affordable, but she has heard that the commute is bad? We'd appreciate any wisdom you can share.

We've been told Mililani is a good family area with a decent commute to Schofield. We were told to avoid Ewa because of the nasty commute, but that's in regards to my hubby's commute into Hono. I don't know yet because we don't get there until mid-June, but we're PCSing with little ones too and Mililani's one of the ones that has best access to services but isn't on base. There's also the Red Hill area which is supposed to be really nice. She'll probably move up the list a lot quicker once she arrives on island, though, especially as a single, AD parent. "O" housing is a little more scarce from what we're being told - we're looking at both base and economy housing because our wait for Hickam and Navy are looking pretty long. When is she due to PCS? If we get there sooner than she does I'd be happy to let you know what the wait lists are looking like. PM me if you have any questions, I'll help with what I can.

quiltkat · 05-26-2011, 11:48 PM

Thanks mdgilmore. She's already there, just fiinished inprocessing and living in a hotel. She's going to look real hard this weekend and check back at the housing office next week. She said that Mililani looks good, but what is currently available there is out of her price range. Good luck in your search and I really appreciate the offer of help.

Joliefille · 05-26-2011, 11:55 PM

She should avoid Wahiawa like the plague. It's a ghetto. Milialini is nice, Kapolei is nice. Ewa is iffy, depending on the neighborhood.

quiltkat · 05-27-2011, 07:18 AM

Good to know Joliefille. Thanks.

mokeanne · 05-27-2011, 02:35 PM

i work in wahiawa and drive by schofield everyday. i used to live in ewa for a long time. the traffic commute can be bad, depending on what time you leave and where you live. the main problem is a bottle neck in traffic once you get to a certain part of ewa. if you live in west lock estates or fairways, it's not too bad since you're in the beginning of ewa. but living beyond that can be a nightmare. we did have some car break ins in our neighborhood, but i lived towards the end of a bunch of dead end roads so the guys got caught by a neighbor.

i wouldn't live in wahiawa, most of the places are older and the drug, crime rate, and homeless are rather scary. there have been random sex assaults reported as well, one was an elementary school teacher and the other took place at the shopping center. just walking from work to my car after dark is sometimes a bit intimidating.

mililani is nice and has some really good school districts, but i have heard of sporadic rashes of burglaries in the area.

right now i live in makakilo. my commute isn't bad, but i live right off of the freeway exit. i understand that if you live in upper makakilo it can be quite a chore to get out in the mornings. the area is nice so far, but traffic around the kapolei shopping center is a bit much. there's one major intersection to get on the freeway and up to makakilo.

you can pm me if there's certain areas what she's interested in. i haven't been really frequenting the board lately.

eksotia · 05-29-2011, 12:49 PM

I also vote for Mililani. Most families I know live there, in Mililani Mauka to be exact, but it's also because of the good school district and a 2 year old won't need school yet. It is also very close to Schoffield barracks, about 15 min away. I have an AD friend who always manage to come home for lunch.

eureka1 · 05-29-2011, 02:03 PM

It depends what you want. If you want a cookie-cutter suburb Mililani will do. If you want something more like Hawaii, you're a 20 minute drive from Haliewa and Waialua, near the beach. Thank you for your service.

timbo31958 · 05-29-2011, 05:58 PM

I tend to agree with the North Shore, when I was at Schofield I lived in Wahiawa, Honolulu, and North Shore, enjoyed all 3. Also as far as on post housing, you are not limited to just Schofield you can live in any on base housing so might not be that long of a wait.

mdgilmore · 05-29-2011, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timbo31958

I tend to agree with the North Shore, when I was at Schofield I lived in Wahiawa, Honolulu, and North Shore, enjoyed all 3. Also as far as on post housing, you are not limited to just Schofield you can live in any on base housing so might not be that long of a wait.

You can get on any of the lists (except MC housing - they restrict to Marines or Navy working w/Marines), but they prioritize differently depending on your branch of service, except for the Army. Navy prioritizes non-Navy lower than Navy, so the wait could be longer. Air Force is similar. Army seems to love everyone equally