Do you think I will enjoy Hilo? (Kailua, Volcano: appointed, transfer to)

[Mainevent]

I might transfer to UH-Hilo and had some questions about the school and town.

Most people say that Hilo is boring and that there isn't much going on. I come from a unique situation and I think Hilo seems like a pretty good fit. Here's some information:

-I grew up in a small town in Maine, with a population of just over 1,000. We are the only Asian family in the area that I know of.

-I went to school at UMaine-Farmington, which has an enrollment of 2200, similar to UH-Hilo. I also spent a year at UMaine-Orono, which is a big university (12K students), but prefer the smaller feel.

Farmington only has a population of 7K, really doesn't have much going on, but I am able to find things to do. Hilo is a small town by some people's standards, but I think it would be hard for me to be bored in a town 6x the size of Farmington, right on the ocean.

Is Hilo a good fit? Is there anything I should know? Are there any good looking girls lol? Thanks.

[winkosmosis]

My friend's brother is living in Hilo temporarily. He hates it... especially the constant rain. Do you like gloomy weather? Might as well live in Maine.


As far as nothing to do... I don't know because I've never been there. But small towns always have a lot to do. What "nothing to do" really means is "no gay bars to snort coke at and have a transexual grind on you" which is fine by me.

[KoaKine]

Aloha,
Hilo isn't so gloomy at all lol yes it does rain almost every day but it has plenty of sun and a short drive you can find any kind of weather. I don't find it boring and I'm used to a much larger city.

DM me I could give specifics on UHH

Koa

[Honolulu21]

Originally Posted by Mainevent

-I grew up in a small town in Maine, with a population of just over 1,000. We are the only Asian family in the area that I know of.

-I went to school at UMaine-Farmington, which has an enrollment of 2200, similar to UH-Hilo. I also spent a year at UMaine-Orono, which is a big university (12K students), but prefer the smaller feel.

Farmington only has a population of 7K, really doesn't have much going on, but I am able to find things to do. Hilo is a small town by some people's standards, but I think it would be hard for me to be bored in a town 6x the size of Farmington, right on the ocean.

Is Hilo a good fit? Is there anything I should know? Are there any good looking girls lol? Thanks.

Of course as in any locale there will be some good looking girls and other types.

Having grown up on Oahu and from my experiences and perspective, Hilo has an even more "local" Japanese-American feel to it than Oahu. The BI is the only island out of Kauai, Maui, and Oahu that has more local Japanese Restaurants than Chinese Chop Suey Restaurants (at least from what I've seen). Its the other way around on the other islands.

Its hard to say if Hilo is a good fit for you. Unfortunately in the past, I've known a few asians born and raised on the mainland who just didn't feel comfortable in Hawaii because of cultural differences that they weren't use to.

So to answer your question, it really depends on you and how open you are to live in a place that's different.

[hotzcatz]

Hilo is a comfortable town and the U of H is becoming a larger presence there these past few years. There are beginning to be more shops in town geared towards university students and younger folks are around town more now. There is the bay, but folks usually swim along the coast outside the bay because the water is better. There is surfing nearby at Honoli'i and loads of large park areas. Other than Hilo town, the island also has the observatories up on the mountain and Volcano National Park to visit. There are also loads of day trips to places like Kailua Kona or Pololu valley or the hot ponds, etc. There are lots of pretty girls, too, of all kinds of different nationalities. You just missed the Merrie Monarch festival which is a huge hula festival in Hilo. During Merrie Monarch you can hardly walk in Hilo without tripping over a hula dancer.

[winkosmosis]

Speaking of the Merrie Monarch festival, maybe looking at video from that is a good way to gauge how hot the girls are?? Unless the demographics of UH Hilo are different from the state as a whole.

[hotzcatz]

A large percentage of the hula dancers come in from other places for the festival, but Hilo has good looking people as well as interesting looking people there all the time. Given a choice between rural Maine and Hilo, I think the OP will enjoy Hilo. Plus it's for school so it's a temporary situation, if he doesn't like it, then the next semester or next year he can go to a different school, but U of H Hilo is big enough to be interesting yet small enough to be comfortable.

[McFrostyJ]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

During Merrie Monarch you can hardly walk in Hilo without tripping over a hula dancer.

I can hardly wait to visit Hilo and hope I trip!

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Mainevent

I might transfer to UH-Hilo and had some questions about the school and town.

Most people say that Hilo is boring and that there isn't much going on. I come from a unique situation and I think Hilo seems like a pretty good fit. Here's some information:

-I grew up in a small town in Maine, with a population of just over 1,000. We are the only Asian family in the area that I know of.

-I went to school at UMaine-Farmington, which has an enrollment of 2200, similar to UH-Hilo. I also spent a year at UMaine-Orono, which is a big university (12K students), but prefer the smaller feel.

Farmington only has a population of 7K, really doesn't have much going on, but I am able to find things to do. Hilo is a small town by some people's standards, but I think it would be hard for me to be bored in a town 6x the size of Farmington, right on the ocean.

Is Hilo a good fit? Is there anything I should know? Are there any good looking girls lol? Thanks.

Well, all things are relative. Sounds like if Hilo is a bigger town for you, plus you are Asian as well, than it'll probably be a good fit.

I think it's when people come from large cities or even mid-size cities and expect Hilo to have city-like characteristics, that is when they are disappointed.

Essentially, it's all relative.

[HonuMan]

My wife is from Hilo (she's lived in Oregon since 1998), and I've been there several times. I find it to be a charming, laid-back town. My wife's son moved back to Hilo when he was 19, worked, attended UH-Hilo for a while, stayed for four years, and moved back to Oregon. He liked the lifestyle there, which for him revolved around hanging out with friends, being active in a church, playing in a local band, watching movies, and going to cookouts. There are a number of good restaurants there (particularly if you like Asian food), but no nightclub/nightlife scene in the big-city sense. There was no shortage of pretty girls. Sometimes he found the slow pace boring, and he missed the diversity of activities here in Portland, but now that he's been back in Portland for a few years, he misses Hilo and would like to move back there someday. The reason he left Hilo was the reason many people do: lack of jobs. At one point, he was working 60 hours per week at three minimum-wage part-time jobs, and he barely made ends meet. It was just too much of a struggle for him.

If you haven't already done so, read other threads on this forum. As has been stated repeatedly, Hawaii is like a foreign country (because it used to be one), and the culture and lifestyle aren't for everyone. If you're familiar with and like Asian culture (you didn't say whether your family has been here for a couple generations, or whether your parents moved here from Asia), then you should do fine in Hawaii. The people who don't do well are the blunt, Type A personalities who want everything to be like it is wherever they're from on the mainland.