First thought that comes to mind - Places on Oahu (Honolulu: low income, transplants)

[svillechris]

As locals, you have different perceptions than those of us who've only visited the island. This thread is meant to provide some insight into the initial thought/reaction locals have about different spots on the island. For example: Haleiwa - surfer's paradise, or Waianae - lots of homeless/poor people

Here goes:

Ewa Beach
Waianae
Mililani
Ala Moana
Waikiki
East Honolulu
Kailua
Kaneohe
Lai
Haleiwa
Diamond Head

Thanks in advance!

[prospectheightsresident]

Ewa Beach: nice area but a pain to get to and from during rush hour (at least pre-Covid)
Waianae: some say it's rough, but I feel fine there. Wonderfu Puerto Rican place in Coquitoes
Mililani: established
Ala Moana: stereotypical Oahu
Waikiki: tourist central
East Honolulu: wealth and Koko Head
Kailua: "paradise" and rain
Kaneohe: more "affordable" than Kailua
Lai: never heard of it
Haleiwa: North Shore and surf
Diamond Head: easier hike than Koko Head

My answers may be nontraditional, but they were the first things that came to mind

[Ian_Lee]

It is Laie, not Lai -- Polynesian Cultural Center and BYU.

[svillechris]

These are awesome! Thanks. Yes, I meant Laie, not Lai, typo there on my part. Would appreciate any others as well.

[hotzcatz]

Ewa Beach - was sugar, had a train, now endless mainland type cookie cutter houses smashed together
Waianae - local place being taken over by non locals
Mililani - townhouses, not sure if that 'second city' concept ever worked
Ala Moana - shopping center, bus hub, now crazy overbuilt
Waikiki - wackywackyland, lost it's quirky charm but the weather is good, impersonal living space
East Honolulu - where's that? What's this 'East' all about?
Kailua - nice place, great beach, gotten crazy expensive
Kaneohe - military, not so much of a beach town
Lai - type of fish, but probably means the Mormon town up at the top of the island?
Haleiwa - the highway bypass helped a lot
Diamond Head - now you have to pay money to climb to the top and they paved it as well


Manoa
Kaimuki
Hawaii Kai
Waimanalo
Kaaawa
Aiea
Pearl City
etc., etc.

[kaimuki]

Ewa Beach: crowded and so traffic
Waianae: nice beaches
Mililani: the enemy (I'm from Wahiawa)
Ala Moana: noisy
Waikiki: an armpit (hahaha)
East Honolulu: which neighborhood(s)? This is a large area
Kailua: nice beach, but much of it feels like Cali
Kaneohe: beautiful mountain views, rainy and Masa & Joyce Okazuya
Laie: PCC and BYU
Haleiwa: used to be nice when I was a kid
Diamond Head: nice houses

Manoa: local Chinese
Kaimuki: lots of great eateries, some have closed because of covid
Hawaii Kai: lots of subdivisions
Waimanalo: best beach, I want to retire there one day
Kaaawa: beautiful and a lot of rain
Aiea: pearl ridge and it's mall rats and thug life
Pearl City: I know a few Glen Miyashiro's who live there

[WannabeCPA]

As someone who grew up here these are my thoughts. Just the first things that come to mind, not to be taken too seriously but I'm curious to see who others compare to mine:

Ewa Beach: cookie cutter developments, hot, can't afford to live in town, and most of all TRAFFIC
Waianae: poor, pretty much the end of the Earth and no reason to go there
Mililani: good for families, far from town, boring
Ala Moana (assuming the area, not shopping center): crowded but lots of places to eat
Waikiki: for tourists only, except the occasional family gathering at one of those hotel restaurants
East Honolulu (assuming Hawaii Kai area): Rich, white and asian
Kailua: Rich, full of mainland transplants, beaches
Kaneohe: poor man's Kailua, more locals
Laie: Kahuku high school, camping
Haleiwa: Matsumoto's, surfing
Diamond Head: Talking about the neighborhood, again, rich people. Talking about the crater: nice views

[mxg67]

Ewa Beach- cookie cutter suburbia, middle class, filipinos
Waianae- lower income, rougher (not necessarily dangerous), beautiful mountains and beaches
Mililani- Military, mixed middle class suburbia
Ala Moana- Town, diversity, high and low income, young and old, strip clubs, food, bars, busy
Waikiki- Tourist, crowded and dirty
East Honolulu- wealth
Kailua- a quiet unchanged white town, turned to more white transplant-y town for tourists
Kaneohe- old school, low key local hood and military. Incredible vistas.
Lai(e)- Kahuku high, mormons
Haleiwa- surf town turned tourist mecca
Diamond Head- busy, tourists, wealth

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Waianae - local place being taken over by non locals

If this statement was true - and I highly disagree with that statement - these alleged non locals haven't done anything to improve the place.

[Dthraco]

Ewa Beach - nope. Not dealing with traffic.
Waianae - Beautiful but mired with poverty and animalistic behaivor
Mililani - Nice area for suburb life
Ala Moana - Beach park and the mall.
Waikiki - lost it’s charm when they replaced the international marketplace with a mini version of the Ala Moana mall...but still fun to walk around on occasion.
East Honolulu - Nice if you already had wealth before you arrived
Kailua - Hot and a bit of a drive to get to town surf spots
Kaneohe - dirty part of Kailua town
Laie - Far from everything, too far. And everything is closed on sundays which seems to always align with road trip days.
Haleiwa - Fun place to chill and get food before heading back to town before it gets dark.
Diamond Head - easy hike with a gorgeous view.