Is Hilo Not For A Young Adults? (Honolulu: schools, university)

[Windering7]

Hello all, just moved to hilo and have been living here for 4 months and I love the weather and lush green scenery that hilo town has to offer. I am 24 and I rarely see any young people besides close to the university. The only people I see are mainly mainland retirees and hardly any young people under the age of 50 or so. I'm young and I am full of energy and find it difficult to meet young people around my age. I don't care how old someone is but it would he nice to be able to meet people within my age group. I am thinking about moving to another island but don't know what island to look into? I do like the small town and laid back feel of hilo. Not interested in puna because it's full of new age hippies or mainland retirees. Also not interested in Kona since it's too hot there.

[Arktikos]

Picky picky! Population pyramid of Hilo shows largest age group to be 20-25 for males and females. Why not take advantage of UHH and make some friends from that demographic?

Don't know how you're gathering your impressions-what areas do you frequent? Age 24 and working, attending school or neither?

Mainland retirees are a small percentage of population in Hilo or Puna. Perhaps you're confusing them with older tourists, which is what you will find in much greater abundance in most other towns of Hawaii.

You could look into Honolulu, but probably too hot there too.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Windering7

I'm young and I am full of energy and find it difficult to meet young people around my age. I don't care how old someone is but it would he nice to be able to meet people within my age group.

Well, there is always Tinder.....

[Grassyknoll]

Join a canoe club.

[eureka1]

Why did you move there?

[Farmer Larry]

Come to Phoenix for one summer and you will never complain about any other place being too hot.
Kona is only hot for a few hours each day, when we get really blazing the overnight low temp in Phoenix is above 90F. Imagine it is 6am the sun is rising and it is already over 90F, THAT is hot!!!!!
Sometimes it is still over 100F at midnight.

Before moving to Phoenix I worked outdoors in the Chicago area and one of my last days working there the HIGH temp was 5 below zero. The hottest day I worked outdoors in Phoenix was 116F and that was a piece of cake compared to 5 below. You need to realize Hawaii has the best weather in the US, not San Diego.

[xxthinkpinkxo]

I moved to Hilo at age 25 so I understand your problem. The UHH students are a bit too young and everyone else is too old. There's not much of a "young professional scene (age 23-29)." I made it work by becoming friends with older people. My closest friend was 42 and I even had a friend in their 60s. I eventually made other younger friends through coworkers but I would say there are just not as many people who move there in their early 20s (post college). Lucys, the tavern, Pineapples, etc are good places to meet younger folks if you like going out. Also First Fridays are fun and attract a younger crowd.

[Windering7]

Originally Posted by Windering7

Hello all, just moved to hilo and have been living here for 4 months and I love the weather and lush green scenery that hilo town has to offer. I am 24 and I rarely see any young people besides close to the university. The only people I see are mainly mainland retirees and hardly any young people under the age of 50 or so. I'm young and I am full of energy and find it difficult to meet young people around my age. I don't care how old someone is but it would he nice to be able to meet people within my age group. I am thinking about moving to another island but don't know what island to look into? I do like the small town and laid back feel of hilo. Not interested in puna because it's full of new age hippies or mainland retirees. Also not interested in Kona since it's too hot there.

Thanks so much for your reply. It's nice to know that someone who actually lives in Hilo knows what I'm talking about and understands me. You really have to live here as a young man in his 20s to understand what I'm going through. I really do enjoy living in Hilo and do not want to leave for any reason. It has everything I want in Hawaii. The weather is ideal and perfect to me. I love the country feel to it. Im surrounded by nature. I love the slower pace of life. I enjoy the raw and unique rocky beaches on this side of the island. And you hit the nail on the head with everything you said. I will go to those places that you have mentioned as I am looking to meet new people who are around my age. Thanks so much once again!

[xxthinkpinkxo]

No problem! I disagree with posters here -- mainland retirees are a huge chunk of Hilo's population, or at least the social scene. I always felt it would be the perfect place to enjoy a vibrant and active retirement. It can be a tough place to make friends though, or at least it was for me. Just give it some time though!

[hotzcatz]

24 is a pretty busy time. Folks are starting careers, families, etc., and that will take them out of the social scene. They're also integrating into the overall mixed age society and not sorted by age group (i.e. schools) anymore so you won't find them in the large groupings you may have been used to. They're also shifting into a different mode of meeting people so they don't seem to automatically be out there searching for friends as the slightly younger crowd seems to do.

As a newcomer to the islands, you've also got the stigma of not being from around here so folks are likely to be a bit hands off on becoming friends since they won't know if you're going to stick around or not. That wears off after awhile, especially if you don't ever refer to wanting to leave. If you say you only want to be here for a year or so, then making friends becomes much harder. (Not that you've said that, but folks here are sensitive to the frequency of newcomers to leave after a year)

Perhaps joining some interest groups would garner you some new acquaintances who can become new friends? Hiking, wood working, or even a slightly esoteric hobby such as beekeeping would let you find other folks to chat with. Go to places where you have to interact with others or have an opportunity to chat. Volunteer at the zoo? (Do they need volunteers?) Join a hula halau? Walk down the sidewalk and smile at people. Take the extra avocados falling out of the tree in your yard over to your neighbors. There's loads of ways to meet folks.