Hawaii big island VS Colorado - round 1 (Hilo: skateboarding, rental) - (HI) -The Island of Hawaii - City-Data Forum

Jstarr · 12-31-2009, 03:12 PM

My wife & I are interested in moving either to Colorado or the Paradise Park area near Hilo on the big island. We are trying to make informed decisions for our family & would like input. She is afraid of island fever. She also doesn't know what she & my kids would do there during the day - I have 3 kids 7, 5, 4. We love snowboarding, skateboarding, wakeboarding etc. We also like water a lot, but she is afraid of fish & extremely afraid of sharks. If you have any advice, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
JStarr

hothulamaui · 12-31-2009, 03:26 PM

sounds like colorado would suit better, no skiing. no wake boarding. I don't live BI hilo side, but I think most beaches are pretty rocky. hilo is the rainy side. part of the beauty of the ocean is the thousands of beautiful fish we have and yes, sharks do live in the ocean. so it would be hard for your wife to get comfortable in the water. island fever is real especially for people who like lots to pick from, like resturants, places to shop, you do have to hop a plane to go anywhere. would you be home schooling, the schools in the islands are not great. on the other hand it is a wonderful place to live for it's beauty and simple life style. I do not like cold so colorado would be out for me, any chance you could live in both places 6 months here, six months there. why not come stay for a summer and see how it feels to your family. that would be ideal. 3 months would give you an idea if it suited your family. good luck

lauleahere&there · 12-31-2009, 04:54 PM

I can recommend Colorado. Fort Collins has milder winters than much of the Front Range. Or maybe you'd like to winter in Arizona. I can recommend public education in Fort Collins, too. It consistently outperforms the rest of the state in standardized test results.

For water sports, there is Horsetooth Reservoir and the Poudre and Big Thomson Rivers have excellent rafting and fishing opportunities.

Balad1 · 12-31-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstarr

My wife & I are interested in moving either to Colorado or the Paradise Park area near Hilo on the big island. We are trying to make informed decisions for our family & would like input. She is afraid of island fever. She also doesn't know what she & my kids would do there during the day - I have 3 kids 7, 5, 4. We love snowboarding, skateboarding, wakeboarding etc. We also like water a lot, but she is afraid of fish & extremely afraid of sharks. If you have any advice, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
JStarr

Why would you limit yourself to these 2 places? It seems like you've picked 2 extremes.

As a father who's kids are now grown my advice to you is to live in an area were your kids can get a FIRST CLASS EDUCATION and you can find a DECENT JOB.

PS: On the Big Island you will not find either of these...

mdand3boys · 12-31-2009, 08:48 PM

You are deciding between somewhere in an entire state on the mainland to a particular subdivision on an island? Makes no sense.

nwcountrygal · 12-31-2009, 11:28 PM

need more information to giv you any advise.... it is extremes that you metioned?

Boxcar Overkill · 01-01-2010, 04:31 AM

Go to Hawaii after your kids graduate.

annabellepdx · 01-01-2010, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstarr

My wife & I are interested in moving either to Colorado or the Paradise Park area near Hilo on the big island. We are trying to make informed decisions for our family & would like input. She is afraid of island fever. She also doesn't know what she & my kids would do there during the day - I have 3 kids 7, 5, 4. We love snowboarding, skateboarding, wakeboarding etc. We also like water a lot, but she is afraid of fish & extremely afraid of sharks. If you have any advice, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,
JStarr

Hi there,

I think I understand your dilemma. We are trying to decide between Oregon (pdx/bend) and the Big Island

Have you visited the island? You have to do that first! Having spent some time on the island, but never living there (yet), I can still say with certainty that if you guys like beaches, then Hilo is probably not for you. The most water you'll get is from the clouds. There's one sandy strip on the bay, and I don't know what the water's like. The Big Island has some pretty rough beaches due to all the volcanic activity, but most of the user-friendly one are on the more touristy Kona side. There's some great snorkeling on that side, too. On the other hand, if you can be happy with some fun little thermal pools and stuff, the Puna distrcit is really fun to explore. And up to the north, there's a beautiful area called Wai 'Pio Valley that's hard to get to but wonderful to spend a day splashing around.

People do snowboard on Mauna Kea, but it can't compare to Colorado, of course. Can't speak to wakeboarding. Are you guys interested in surfing? I'm afraid of sharks, too, but I think it would be cool to learn in the birthplace of surfing.

The island is pretty big, so when you get sick of one side you can head over to the other, and when you get sick of that you can go to the other islands, I would imagine. Do you like volcanoes? Living near Hilo, one of the most interesting family things to do would be hiking at the volcano. In fact the whole island is a hiker's paradise. But then, you're comparing it to Colorado. Honestly sounds like you guys might have more fun in Colorado, but it's impossible to tell.

Finally, when I wonder if I'll get island fever, I just ask myself how many times I go out of state now... maybe every six months, with little side trips to the mountains - well, why couldn't I do that on the island? If you guys can afford to get away once in awhile, why not? Just make sure you have jobs lined up and some savings to get away when you want, I would say go for it. But then again, I'm not from there, so this is just my two cents based on my experiences. The other posters may very well warn you about the quality of education on the island and the lack of jobs. Best of luck!

Jstarr · 01-01-2010, 10:16 AM

Thank you everyone.
As to why the two states - my wife's boyfriend (yup) loves Colorado & wants to move back there - he has sold her on the dream too. I for one HATE the cold & am a solar installer. It was -5 wind chill, 35mph winds 11 degrees the other day & I was on a roof with a snow shovel installing solar! I don't want winter anymore. As I get older, it seems to effect me more. I also don't like extreme heat for the same reason. I understand that there will be hot & humid days in Hawaii as well, but 100 degrees with high humidity & no wind in CT killed me this summer as well. The constant environment that you can get used to is very welcoming & honestly the biggest draw for me.

Besides her boyfriend, every time I try to look at Colorado, I can't settle on an area - nothing has a draw to me. I hear it's beautiful & wonderful, I've seen the pictures but I have no reason to like it. Nothing jumps out at me. As I was first looking at maps of the islands, I was instantly drawn to the Paradise Park area on the Big Island. It seems that there's so much there that you could explore regularly & never see it all!

I would love to learn to surf & my older 2 have already fallen in love with the water & have been tubing & kneeboarding. (7 & 5). My 4 year old is content to wade, but showing more interest in the water lately. In CT, the swimming season is fairly short unless you own a wetsuit (which we do).

I appreciate all the input, this is a hard decision & I am hoping to move by summer, there is a LOT of research to be done. As for visiting, I don't think financially that would be wise - I will have about $20,000 saved for moving by then, but don't want to dip into that so we can fill in any gaps needed - I figure it'll cost us a little over $10,000 just to move us & our cars & a few of our belongings, and set us up for 1st, last, and security on a rental home. I'm really trying to cover all perspectives - I'm NOT going to move unless it is a joint decision, and I don't want to push her at all. We spent 45 minutes on the phone with someone from Hawaii the other day, pegging them with questions. I am just letting things play out & giving arguement from both sides - as for staying in the area of New Engand, I don't see that as an option for us.

We are working on our marriage and need to be better before moving, but need to get away from this whole situation. There's too many people here who know us & are involved in the situation, as well as the temptation of him.

Thanks again,
JStarr

Balad1 · 01-01-2010, 10:35 AM

After reading your last post I'm not quite sure I understand you and your wife's dynamics but I do think that you're right about the two of you being on excellent terms before moving.

On a positive note I think as a solar systems installer you will never want for work in Hawaii. Starting today a new law takes effect here that all new homes constructed must have a solar hot water heater.

Also in the area of alternative energy, wind generation systems are becoming quite popular here and there is even a commercial wind farm at South Point.