Tons Of Questions About Relocating To Hilo Area (Hawaiian Paradise Park, Waimea: for sale, renter)

[Ozgurschickens]

Aloha
I'm recently divorced and looking to start over. I've always wanted to live in Hawaii and am trying to research the crap out of it before moving. Right now I own a home paid off in TN, a paid off car and do hobby farming and work from home doing customer service. I have 2 kids ages 4 and 6. My 4yr old is autistic. I'm trying to decide if Hawaii would work for us bc of price differences, my son's disability, shopping and food amenities, and the area's job market. I have no family tying me anywhere and we will be doing this alone and by pure determination. My questions are:
I've found homes for sale in Pahoa, Kurtistown, Ainaloa, Tiki Gardens, Nanawale and Hawaiian Paradise. Are any of these areas better than the other? How long are commute times to Hilo? A few of the houses are unfinished or need things redone. How expensive can this run in Hawaii? Also are any of these areas better than the others for growing vegetables and small scale animals? I plan on keeping chickens and ducks like I do here.
How are the job markets in the above areas and in Hilo? I haven't found much online and don't want to move until I have a job lined up. I've seen the schools hiring for cafeteria jobs and secretaries and a few other customer service phone jobs like I do now, but I wondered about other secretarial jobs and jobs at the VA. Does anyone know if any of these jobs do long distance interviews?
As supplemental income I sell handicrafts and eggs from my chickens. Are there any taxes or large differences doing this in Hawaii vs the mainland? Is it even legal to sell eggs like this in Hawaii? Are there any flea markets or crafts hows in the Hilo area?
How is autism handled in the local school districts? ere they have preschool half a day and provide my son speech therapy once a week. He's high functioning but still has difficulties with making sentences and being understood. I've just started the disability process for him so that might help offset some costs.
Shopping...What kind of stores are in these areas vs Hilo? I like to go to thrift stores, craft stores and eat a crap ton of Asian food. Are there any cheaper food stores or markets?
Thanks in advance guys and sorry for the tons of questions.
Aloha,
LeLy

[hotzcatz]

Pahoa is about ready to be eaten by lava. So, you'd probably want to stay away from that one. Once the lava eats the highway, they are putting in a secondary access road which they hope will work for a few months before the lava eats that one, too. Then the only way to access the other side of the lava flow from Hilo will be a several hour detour up Chain of Craters road and come out above the lava flow in Volcano. So, commuting to a job in Hilo after the lava eats the highway isn't really practical. So, basically, if it were me, I'd scratch Pahoa, Nanawale, Ainaloa, Tiki Gardens and the far half of HPP of my list. So, that pretty much leaves Kurtistown. If you go from Keaau and head up to Volcano, the lava probably won't go in that area. Doesn't mean the smoke and fumes from the lava won't, but the lava itself probably won't.

There isn't much soil in most of the Puna area, although you can find areas that have some soil. Gardening in Hawaii is much different than gardening on the mainland. There isn't much tractor/tiller type farming since it's just lava rocks for soil. Stuff will grow, but digging a hole for it is a lot of work. Doesn't mean folks don't manage to produce stuff, but you may have to bring in soil.

Ainiloa, Tiki Gardens, Nanawale and Hawaiian Paradise Park have zero jobs. They are just houses with no real commercial zones or businesses. There are a very few (like less than a dozen) jobs in Kurtistown. Kurtistown consists of a gas station, a post office, a 7-11, J. Hara Store and off the highway is Plant it Hawaii. I think there may be a propane place, too. Pahoa, well, if the lava eats the town, then no jobs.

I don't think you will get much support for autism via the school system.

All most all the stores are in Hilo. Ainaloa has one convenience shop and a sandwich shop, I think. None in Paradise Park although there is a plant nursery in there. No stores in Tiki Gardens, none in Nanawale. Kurtistown has the J. Hara store and 7-11. Pahoa was almost becoming a town, but now the lava is getting ready to go right across town.

Selling crafts can be done, there are craft shows, but it costs quite a bit to get a table at them. I think you have to keep the eggs refrigerated or in a cooler or some such, I'm not sure of the requirements.

There are very few craft stores. There's Ben Franklin Crafts in Hilo, there was a scrapbooking shop, dunno if it's still there. The stained glass place closed. There is a yarn shop in Hilo, although she's thinking of retiring or moving to Waimea or Honokaa.

If you want to try living in Hawaii, can you find a renter for your house so you'd be able to go back to it if Hawaii didn't work out?

[smarino]

Shopping is fine, but expensive, except for thrift stores. Schools are not so good. Do NOT buy nuthin nowhere, rent first (also expensive). The Hilo flea/crafts/farmer's market is fantastic. For the job situation, see "schools" above.

Cliff notes version.

[jeSayn]

Be aware of the Little Fire Ants.
Terrible stings for people & animals. Blinds chickens pets if it gets into the eyeball.
LFA Hawaii :: Where are Little Fire Ants Found?
So far they are mostly on the East side of the island but just beginning to spread to the west side.
Big Island east side (where I currently live):
Mosquitoes;Barking dogs by night/Annoying flies by day.
If unlucky: noisy rap-trap noise & burglaries (that's why people get these dogs)
Most importantly:
Rent in an area for at least six months BEFORE you buy.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by Ozgurschickens

Aloha
I'm recently divorced and looking to start over. I've always wanted to live in Hawaii and am trying to research the crap out of it before moving. Right now I own a home paid off in TN, a paid off car and do hobby farming and work from home doing customer service. I have 2 kids ages 4 and 6. My 4yr old is autistic. I'm trying to decide if Hawaii would work for us bc of price differences, my son's disability, shopping and food amenities, and the area's job market. I have no family tying me anywhere and we will be doing this alone and by pure determination.

The cost of living in Hawaii is very high. Are you sure you can afford it? It's great that you paid off your home and car! Are you living debt free? Or are there there other debts, like student loans, credit cards, etc. Do you have a good income stream from the divorce agreement? It's a challenge to be a single mom with two children, one of the children a special needs child.

Customer service usually doesn't pay very well at all. I used to work in customer service a couple decades ago. If you are not in good financial shape, maybe looking for a place with better assistance from the government should be a higher priority rather than a nicer climate.

Originally Posted by jeSayn

Annoying flies by day.

You may be able to solve the annoying fly problem. I've built a few fly traps over the years that look similar to the photo I found on the web. The trap is basically a cube with a frame made of wood. The fly trap is screened on all side of the cube, except the bottom. On the inside of the cube, you have an inverted screen cone that opens up in the middle of the cube. Flies go under the trap and up the inside of the cone through the small opening in the cone. The flies cannot figure out how to escape. Once and awhile a fly will find the way out, but usually gets caught again because flies naturally try to escape by going up.

The bate is placed under the trap, which is raised about an inch from the ground. The fly trap catches thousands of flies. Periodically, I put the fly trap in a big bucket of water to kill the flies. After several months of use, the flies start to smell some and it attracts other flies without the bait. After a season of use, the trap is too gross, at least half full of dead flies and has to be thrown away. The overall effect of the fly trap after several weeks is a huge drop in the number of flies that are flying around, being an annoyance. The trap requires almost no time for maintenance. The flies do all the work themselves, catching themselves.

[OpenD]

Simply put, the social safety network in Hawai'i is poor compared to many other states, and support for children with disabilities is not good. For that matter, even support for children without special needs is not good.

Due to that aspect alone I would not personally recommend a move to Hawai'i.

[Ozgurschickens]

I may look in to south florida. I'm trying to find a tropical climate, nice slow pace of life area, good place for growing veggies and chickens, good place for kids etc. Thank you everyone for your replies You all have been so helpful
Aloha
LeLy

[Slush]

Job market sucks like all lemons here. Even hard to get a job at McDonalds. Be warned.

[mdand3boys]

You mention being recently divorced and having 2 kids.
Something to consider, first.
Would you even be allowed to move this far away from the father?