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I've been offered a pretty nice job in Hilo and seriously considering the move. However after reading websites and posts on this forum I have a few concerns that I wanted to address here to get your take on the situation.
Here are the details of my situation: I will be going with my wife and 3 year old daughter. In addition my wife is pregnant with twins. So this move is a pretty important life change for us. We have been to Hawaii on vacation for about a week and thought that this place was paradise. We would need to move in July.
Now my concerns:
1) vog... how often or how bad is it? My wife has asthma (allergy related) and particularly while pregnant this scares me. If it's rare, then it's no big deal, but if it's half the month, then that's a deal breaker.
2) healthcare... I've read some things that may make it hard for newcomers to find a doctor, both for the pregnancy and pediatrician. Is this rust rumors started by the interwebs or could this be an issue?
3) daycare/schools... for our 3 year old, are there some that we should steer clear of or some that we should start applying right away?
4) money... This job will pay about $65K/year. It looks like rentals are in the $1500-2400K depending on the location. That sounds like a substantial chunk of my salary! Is that feasible for a new family of 5.
That's it for now, though if there is anything that you can think of that I have not please mention it. I am so excited to have this possibility but I want to make sure I am not shortchanging my wife.
Thank you very much in advance for your input!
Hi,
I'll give you my experience and see if it helps. We moved here 4 years ago. In fact, I posted a similar post as yours in anticipation for our move although we we unemployed and so we were taking the job pretty much no matter what. I had a lot of concerns in moving here and unfortunately, most of them have been realized. First of all, though, I'll address your questions:
1 - Vog... annoying but not as bad as I expected. There are days when I can feel it when I wake up in my lungs but those are not very often. However, I don't have asthma so someone with that issue would be better able to tell you how your wife would do.
2 - Healthcare....big problem in my opinion. Although I didn't have a problem getting doctors when we arrived, I did have to call around a bunch to find someone who was taking patients. I have heard a story from my husband's work where someone moved here whose wife was 8 months pregnant and couldn't get an ob to accept her. they ended up having someone he worked for put some serious pressure on a local dr to take her since she was so close to her due date. it was very stressful on the couple. If there is any way to wait until after the babies are born, I would wait. Also, the hospital here in Hilo is....not that great, to put it nicely. i've heard some really bad stories about it and even had a friend say she had friends who were nurses that who would choose to fly to Oahu for things instead of doing it there at Hilo Medical Center. I had a baby almost two years ago and opted to fly home to the mainland to have my baby rather than have him here. I had a possibility of complications and wasn't willing to take the chance of having him here and then the hospital not being equipped to handle anything serious. It was very hard on our family, I had to take two children with me and stay with a cousin for 3 months total and I left two other children here with my husband because they were in school. They came after the baby was born and missed the last 3 weeks of school. It was a good decision despite that hardship because he ended up in the NICU for a week. I was able to be close to family and have support instead of being in Honolulu alone.
3 - As far as daycare, no experience here. I didn't send my son because we couldn't afford it. I felt he was a bit behind when he entered Kindergarten but he's done fine. As far as schools, another big issue for us. Our kids have gone to probably the best elementary school in the area and while it's generally been a good school, my oldest son was bullied and was so miserable that we transferred him to a charter school where he does an online program. My other children have done well there though. My bigger issue is the intermediate and high schools which aren't an issue for you now but they don't have a good reputation. I have a friend who sent her teenage son to live with her sister in CA to go to school because she wouldn't send him to school here.
4 - Money...our biggest problem living here. We make about the same amount as you would and it's hasn't been enough for our family of now 7. We've struggled since the moment we got here and have never been able to dig ourselves out. We live in a nice area in a good home and our rent started at $1700 but we've been able to get it reduced to $1500 over the last couple of years. Groceries has been what has really killed us. Your family is smaller and maybe wouldn't have as big of an issue but it costs a fortune to feed our family and I try to only buy things on sale, don't buy extra junk food, etc. and we eat pretty simply. I know there are areas outside of town that are less expensive as far as housing but it wasn't feasible for us to live out there as we could only afford one car so we needed to live in town so I could drive my husband to work or he could ride his bike. Plus, gas is OUTRAGEOUS!
To sum it all up, while it's been an amazing experience living here in a lot of ways, we are anxious to leave. We've made some good friends but have never really felt like we were totally accepted. We've always felt like outsiders no matter how hard we've tried to get to know people. I think I understand it but it's still hard. We miss being closer to family and going home to visit is nearly financially impossible with the price of tickets. I will say that this island is amazingly beautiful and I've loved exploring the island and experiencing things like the volcano and snorkeling that we wouldn't be able to do anywhere else. I know there are people and things about here that I'll miss a lot whenever we do leave but overall, it's not been good for our family at all. I had a friend who moved here and couldn't understand why I wasn't absolutely in love with living here. She thought it was "paradise". Her family is now getting ready to leave, job or no job, because it's been so bad for them. It may be paradise but living in paradise has a price. Living here is not like vacationing here.
So, that's been our experience. It makes me sad because I was hoping it would be so much better but for us, it hasn't been good. I wish you the best in your decision.
Thank you so much for the comments! There seems to be somewhat of a mix of opinions but helpful in making the decision. I'll try to reply to some of your questions:
Our trip to Hawaii was at Waikiki, so of course I'm sure that things are different on big island since it's more of a nature oriented island, where as Oahu has more of a city feel. This isn't a problem because we're more of a nature loving family. We love the fact that big island has beach, mountain, rainforest, desert, snow, etc...
As far as costs, we're very minimal. I've been working on a PhD for 5 years now with a salary of 22K/year so we know how to be thrifty. We love farmer's markets and other local businesses so whether we made 40K or 200K we would still shop there, because, let's face it, it's better food and it supports the community!
I think from what everyone said vog isn't going to be a big issue, and I do have a very nice mask with filters that I used during my chemistry lab years. So on those really bad days then my wife can use it and have no probs.
I guess at this point the only thing that scares me is money. I'm not looking to buy a bunch of crap or travel too much in the beginning, I just want to have a nice comfortable life in paradise so is 65K doable??
IMHO, Waikiki and the BI have more differences than similarities. I wouldn't place any decision factors for a move to the BI based on your Waikiki vacation. When I went to Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu, I wasn't impressed and said "I would never move to Hawaii". A trip the the BI changed that. Some people are the exact opposite. Also, the BI has a lot of ocean, but not a lot of beaches, if that's what you are into.
As far as 65k being doable... as you can see there are differences of opinion here. One thing you need to take into account is the high state income tax- but that is relative. Maybe its comparable to where you are now. I don't know. Maybe you're currently spending 10K a year on heating fuel. Again, don't know. I've lived in places with higher costs of living than Hawaii, and I worked a full time job plus a part time job to make it happen. I think 65k is totally doable if you live the appropriate lifestyle to match the income. But IMHO, Hawaii isn't exactly the "keeping up with the Joneses" type of place. You will see a million dollar house on the same street as a family living under tarps.
Highly recommended that you take a trip before you decide. Go to the store and price things. Hit the farmers markets. See if you can afford stuff. Yes, a lot of stuff in Hawaii costs more. But there are also people on this forum from parts of Alaska or the Virgin Islands who get sticker shock in Hawaii: shocked at how cheap things are. Everything is relative.
Hello everyone and thanks again for all your comments. I have to say I hear a lot of mixed emotions about this. Particularly with the money situation. Again, we plan on living a modest lifestyle so we'll do our best to stretch out our dollar. I am going to ship one of our cars over and sell the other. I checked out how much used cars cost in Hilo and it make far more sense to just send my own car over.
I have spent several hours reading all the posts on this forum (about 6 pages in) and sort of have a good idea of what to expect at this point. I am still a bit skeptical about the school situation. I mean I read the thread titled "bad" schools and pretty much all I found there were ignorant comments (mention of "retards", schools in Hilo is only good to get you to work at McDonalds, etc..) sorry but it hurts the credibility of those posters. The thing is that our daughter will probably just stay home with my wife and my contract is 2 years with possibility of renewal, so if it is as horrible as people say, at least we have an option to get out.
The other thing I'm still VERY unclear is the doctor/hospital situation. It seems like everything posted is "I heard from... that.. blah blah" "my husband's coworker blah blah..." "my friend's cousin's wife thinks blah blah" Does anyone have a real experience to share or just hear-say? It's frustrating to hear internet rumors propagated because who knows if there's any truth to them?
Again thanks to everyone who posted and shared their real life experiences on here. We really appreciate it and it helps us understand the life in Hilo more. Of course we're not expecting Honolulu, but I think with a nice, quieter city we'll be great to raise our children, explore the wilderness and hopefully things work out and I can manage to keep my job more than 2-years.
Quote: The other thing I'm still VERY unclear is the doctor/hospital situation. It seems like everything posted is "I heard from... that.. blah blah" "my husband's coworker blah blah..." "my friend's cousin's wife thinks blah blah" Does anyone have a real experience to share or just hear-say? It's frustrating to hear internet rumors propagated because who knows if there's any truth to them?
Living in Alaska, my daughter got salmonella and was medevaced to Seattle. Imagine the look on my face when I opened up a medevac bill for $108,000.00 (plus some change, as if that matters... thank God for insurance). While the health care situation on the BI can use improvement, its a helluva lot better than elsewhere. Oahu might "seem" far away for health care, but its not 108K far away. That being said, you should probably be prepared to include RT airfare for some types of treatment. That's part of the deal. But there are worse places.
One thing I can chime in on wholeheartedly is giving birth in Waimea. The Waimea Women's Center is like no other, and women fly there from other islands to give birth. It is THAT worth it. Your wife will need to go to the Waimea Women's Center for prenatals to get birthing privelages there, although i've heard of women just "showing up" in labor there and been fine. If you take one word of advice from me, I gave birth for my first child at Hilo Hospital and Waimea for my second. Do the drive to Waimea, you won't be disappointed. I drove from Volcano there almost 2 hours for all my prenatals etc.., and i'd do it again in a heartbeat. The birthing units are homey with wood floors, soft music, everyroom has a sliding glass door to a fenced in courtyard to walk and labor in and just look outside and lavendar flowers and nature. The staff is really caring and genuine, and baby stays in your room. They have the crib in your room etc.. and do all the checkups there right in front of you, they never take the baby out of the room. Just my 2 cents.. Angela
Also, my son is at Volcano School an excellent charter school with a long waiting list, but if I were to live in Hilo I would find a rental in DeSilva school district. It's excellent, one of the best in the state IMHO, and if you go to Greatschools.org you can compare schools and see where they rate. They go up to 6th grade. Unfortunately everyone is right that once you get to middle school, your good choices are few..I haven't decided what we'll do when we get there. The private schools on this side aren't very good either from what I hear.
But there are also people on this forum from parts of Alaska or the Virgin Islands who get sticker shock in Hawaii: shocked at how cheap things are. Everything is relative.
That would be me. OTOH I've learned how to have a much simpler life here. I make about half what I made on the mainland...but I don't use A/C, don't take road trips (lol), eat more meals at home, don't need to buy nice clothes or shoes, etc. etc.
I think your plan is do-able if you are thrifty. Go for it. If you don't, you'll always wonder. You're definitely doing your homework and thinking things through.
Quote:
Originally Posted by terracore
Living in Alaska, my daughter got salmonella and was medevaced to Seattle. Imagine the look on my face when I opened up a medevac bill for $108,000.00 (plus some change, as if that matters... thank God for insurance).
Holy cow! We actually have medivac insurance available down here, and I opted for the mainland option which is twice as expensive as the Puerto Rico option but at only $18 a month, I wouldn't be without it.
I'm always amused with the - if you are thrity go for it even when there is a fairly long and detailed post from a resident of Hilo in almost the exact same situation.
Let's put some things in perspective:
Nobody posts about how great healthcare is in Hawaii - especially the outer islands.
Nobody posts how good the schools are in Hawaii - especially the outer islands.
Nobody posts the cost of living isn't a big deal.
Nobody posts the standard of living is all that great.
Nobody posts you'll love it on your income - you'll make it - and you'll stay long term.
Let you kids grow up and go to college - and then move to Hawaii if you still want to. I mean really - why blow all your savings and then live check to check - what are you really gaining?
When people have kids - one must think kids first - not, lets move to Hawaii on $65K a year and see if we can make it. Come on - time to put the grown up pants on. Its incredibly selfish to move to Hawaii with kids and such a large family on such a small income.
Op- wondering - why do you think you have sufficient income with a large family in an outer island? Who is giving you this hope? What do you hope to gain?
Last edited by whtviper1; 04-09-2012 at 12:04 AM..
One thing I can chime in on wholeheartedly is giving birth in Waimea. The Waimea Women's Center is like no other, and women fly there from other islands to give birth. It is THAT worth it. Your wife will need to go to the Waimea Women's Center for prenatals to get birthing privelages there, although i've heard of women just "showing up" in labor there and been fine. If you take one word of advice from me, I gave birth for my first child at Hilo Hospital and Waimea for my second. Do the drive to Waimea, you won't be disappointed. I drove from Volcano there almost 2 hours for all my prenatals etc.., and i'd do it again in a heartbeat. The birthing units are homey with wood floors, soft music, everyroom has a sliding glass door to a fenced in courtyard to walk and labor in and just look outside and lavendar flowers and nature. The staff is really caring and genuine, and baby stays in your room. They have the crib in your room etc.. and do all the checkups there right in front of you, they never take the baby out of the room. Just my 2 cents.. Angela
I've heard buzz over here on Oahu that the Waimea Women's Center is a great place, too.
Problem is, it's overstressed, overloaded, and in trouble right now.
Here's what's happening (a link to the full article follows the quote):
”That’s one of struggles. We’re trying to break even. We have to raise money to cover the losses. We lost $1.6 million on maternal care last year. We don’t have the capital to expand the building. We don’t have the nurses to sustain the building. It would be more challenging for the hospital to survive.”
“I worry a little bit about women driving to give birth here,” Wood said. “The safety issue is a primary concern. Safety issues are a growing concern. We’re at a crisis point with volume. We’re asking our staff to deal with it, it’s scary for them to deal with it. We know have a fabulous program regarded around the island… We can’t do things that are unsafe here.
“We’re over capacity now… we’re having times, the simplest example is we’re having to put women and babies out on medical surgery floor, around people with infections and illnesses. We had numerous situations where we had no choice. If we had a hundred fewer births — ”
And BTW (here comes the broken record), if moms or babies are in real trouble they get airlifted, yet again, to Oahu. The biggest and best NICU in the state is at Kapi'olani Hospital for Women and Children. The most comprehensive adult critical care units are at the Queens Medical Center. If there are problems with both mom and baby they can be sent to different hospitals (Kap has an adult ICU but it is not on a par with those at Queens). Very tough for all involved.
Wood floors and soft music are lovely, of course, but if there are problems with Mom or baby all those things mean nothing.
This is not the time to make such a life-changing move.
IMO, wait at least until the babies have arrived and all is well. Then re-think everything all over again.
Last edited by PaliPatty; 04-09-2012 at 12:42 AM..
<SNIP>We really appreciate it and it helps us understand the life in Hilo more. Of course we're not expecting Honolulu, but I think with a nice, quieter city we'll be great to raise our children, explore the wilderness and hopefully things work out and I can manage to keep my job more than 2-years.
Note: Bold and italics mine.
Ah, think of Hilo as a nice quieter TOWN and you'll be more in line with what you find when you get off the plane. The only true city in the state is Honolulu.
I'm not even sure if Hilo would qualify for that big of a town, it might be a mid-sized one. Nor are there any bigger ones anywhere else on the island.
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so is 65K doable??
