Skeptical about possibly moving to the big island...help (fit in, job transfer)

[Grassyknoll]

Originally Posted by Sadhere

Seems depressing (to me) if that's the case

It's not the case.
Kona is a large area extendeding from well above the airport (yes, hot, dry and lava fields) all the way down to past Kealakekua where it is wet, green and lush. I would guess that the majority of what is considered "Kona" is actually the green, tropical rainforest like area most people picture when thinking of Kona. May be the difference between whether you are talking about simply Kailua-Kona or the North and South Kona districts.

[Sadhere]

Originally Posted by Grassyknoll

It's not the case.
Kona is a large area extendeding from well above the airport (yes, hot, dry and lava fields) all the way down to past Kealakekua where it is wet, green and lush. I would guess that the majority of what is considered "Kona" is actually the green, tropical rainforest like area most people picture when thinking of Kona. May be the difference between whether you are talking about simply Kailua-Kona or the North and South Kona districts.

Yes I'm thinking of Kailua kona as the place in my previous posts. So is that more green then....

[Grassyknoll]

Originally Posted by Sadhere

Yes I'm thinking of Kailua kona as the place in my previous posts. So is that more green then....

Kailua-Kona along the coast is dry and not very green. But as you drive inland and up mountain it becomes much greener. Most of the population lives up mountain and the higher you go, the cooler, wetter and greener it gets. A lot of days it is clear and sunny along the coastal beach area and cloudy and even rainy just a mile or two inland. You don't have to travel far for the climate and landscape to change.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

OOOPS. Of course, since I live there, I do know the difference. Where in the heck did THAT come from?

Hopefully, it was "auto-correct."

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by Sadhere

Yes I'm thinking of Kailua kona as the place in my previous posts. So is that more green then....

Google Maps might be helpful here…
Google Maps -- Kailua-Kona

The "coffee belt" which which starts "up mauka" at around the 1,500 foot level and extends south from Palani Rd. is relatively "green," compared to other parts of Kona. However, it's nowhere near as lush as Hāmākua, Hilo, and Puna.

[Jungjohann]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

OOOPS. Of course, since I live there, I do know the difference. Where in the heck did THAT come from?

Another insidious and not well documented side affect of continuous exposure to VOG mixed with sunshine.

There's that, and the other one



I'd worry more about this;

Central Pacific Hurricane Center - Honolulu, Hawai`i

[smarino]

Obviously you shouldn't move anywhere, especially Hawaii, w/o visiting first and staying a while to see if it suits you. It's money well spent. We're pretty sure we're moving from the Daytona Beach area of Florida to St. Pete, which is maybe 2 1/2 hours away, and you better believe we'll stay there for about a week before putting a for sale sign here. On paper it looks like a smart move, but we've been surprised before!

I've never used the Airbnb method for short term housing before, but we're going to go that route when we visit St. Pete. The rates look very attractive, and it should be nice staying w/ people that know the area. All the things you mention like VOG, a sense of isolation, boredom, wet and humid (although for sure not Florida humid), island fever, etc are legitimate concerns. You'll never know by depending on someone else's experiences, you have to see for yourself.

[Sadhere]

Originally Posted by Jonah K

Google Maps might be helpful here…
Google Maps -- Kailua-Kona

The "coffee belt" which which starts "up mauka" at around the 1,500 foot level and extends south from Palani Rd. is relatively "green," compared to other parts of Kona. However, it's nowhere near as lush as Hāmākua, Hilo, and Puna.

I just want to see palm trees and a normal amount of "green".....not interested in living in a tropical jungle and being bathed in humid climate. But I'm getting the feeling that finding what I want on the big island is too difficult.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

The Big Island has something like 11 of the 13 climates found around the world. That's one of the reasons that we like living there!

Yes, there are beaches with swaying palm trees. There are also tropical jungles, fields of lava, green pastures, and even permafrost on top of Mauna Kea. Some parts of the island are very green, and some are drier. Heck, even Waimea has a wet side and a dry side (like a previous poster said). Just in my subdivision, which goes from 800 foot elevation to 1400 feet, we have differing amounts of rain and wind.

The amount of humidity varies, too. Where I live we have a constant breeze from the trade winds, but when I go to Kailua Kona it feels really muggy to me.

What is a "normal amount of green" to you?

[Sadhere]

Just balanced as far as green- not interested in a tropical jungle but don't want to see lava fields. I'm not really fond of the multiple climates since they change so rapidly in close proximity.