Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's my feeling as well. I don't think there is any shame in spending a year or two somewhere for the experience of it.
The general pattern I've noticed is that people in their 20s make the big move to places like New York City, Los Angeles, etc. Once they get married, start a family, try to get a house, they usually start looking at all the many 'second-rate' cities and towns nearby or back where they came from.
It's not too late when you're 45 with a few kids and house payments...but it's significantly more problematic on every level.
Usually, I notice that once people retire and their kids grow up, they go back to that 'experimenting' level again.
I agree...that is what me and my wife are contemplating at the moment...we are renters and no kids, both college educated and looking to see if we can make it in Hawaii...so we are contemplating a 6 month plan, if it doesn't work out, we will move back to the cold and snowy Northeast, live our lives working and getting "established"
If I was just wanting to move to Hawaii for the sake of moving to Hawaii that probably would have been me however I got a great job offer there (it's been a year since I have worked full time) so I am taking it. Why?
Cons-
1. I'm high maintenance, into foreign movies at independent theaters, like to shop, and into getting my hair and nails done.
2. I'm scared to death of roaches (my 2 contacts in Hilo NOT on here stated that they have never seen a flying roach, but that yes there are roaches)
3. I would be a minority (even though I already am a minority in Los Angeles anyway, but I would be really a minority in Hawaii), have encountered more racism in Hawaii than in the south and out of the U.S.
4. Being geographically isolated from the rest of the U.S. especially being a $700 flight away from family.
5. I would imagine dating would suck for me since I have nonnegotiables, and the man whose job I am taking said him and his family (Cauasians who were born and raised there) always had a hard time fitting in and making friends
6. Upon reading a lot of posts on here (some active some inactive) there seems to be a generalization that mainlanders are rude, loud, and pompous when I have encountered few American tourists actually like that and I have been traveling around the world solo since I was 16! My advice might make people put me in that category, but be who you are. Whether you "change" or not, there is always going to be someone who thinks something is wrong with you. You should treat people anyway with respect regardless of who you are.
Pros-
1. While money is a factor (gas, taxes, shipping the car, airfare), I'm just lucky to have a full time job with benefits again.
2. I just turned 27, have no kids, and I'm not in a relationship so this is the time for me to really take advantage of things in my life and have an adventure since I am not settled down with anyone.
3. I write for pleasure so I would have so much to write about upon moving
4. I am someone who HATES change, so although I might be depressed and cry a lot in the beginning, I need to confront my fears
5. A slower pace of life does relax me a lot more than living in a major city
6. Even though I lived in major cities with access to a lot of things, my biggest passion is diving and given the location will get off my a**, not watch a movie or sit on the computer, and actually be more active.
Yes I know I listed a lot of the reasons why I would have been scared off, but I am welcoming a big change in my life and consider myself extremely fortunate to have had a major job opportunity in this economy that will pay my bills again! I intend on spending all my free time in Hawaii really discovering it.
Everything you wrote about yourself, goes against everything that you would need to even tolerate living in Hawaii, especially living in Hilo. I don't wish you good luck, I wish u Humongous luck, 'cause you're gonna need it.....
Everything you wrote about yourself, goes against everything that you would need to even tolerate living in Hawaii, especially living in Hilo. I don't wish you good luck, I wish u Humongous luck, 'cause you're gonna need it.....
You made me read the original post again, and I agree.
The 'pros' had nothing to do with Hilo/Hawaii whatsoever, they were all applicable to any generic place.
The 'negatives' though were huge. High maintenance person, loves shopping, foreign movies at independent theaters, hair and nails, scared of roaches, doesn't like 'change', etc.
Everything you wrote about yourself, goes against everything that you would need to even tolerate living in Hawaii, especially living in Hilo. I don't wish you good luck, I wish u Humongous luck, 'cause you're gonna need it.....
Hey like I said, I know there will be bumps on the road. As much as I like Hawaii again and have spent quite some time there in each stay on Hilo, is it the ideal place for me to relocate to? Nope, but fantastic job opportunity that really would open doors for me. G-d forbid I love hot pink, Hello Kitty, shopping, and spending money on feeling good.
Again huge, huge change for me, but this would greatly improve my work prospects. Everything I would "need" to be happy is in Hilo to go on with my nonwork life- gym, snorkeling, kayaking, salon, cheap movie theater, Netflix streaming, Walmart, Target, and a temple in Kona to go to once a month. With the exception of meeting people at work, probably meeting single professionals in my age group will be the biggest challenge, but the truth of the matter is usually I am so tired from work working with so many different people that when I get free time I usually spend it all alone anyway (INFJ here). I posted the other day about dating concerns on the BI, but after thinking it over I actually would find having little to no dating prospects refreshing. Only downside to my new attitude is I aint getting any younger .
You made me read the original post again, and I agree.
The 'pros' had nothing to do with Hilo/Hawaii whatsoever, they were all applicable to any generic place.
The 'negatives' though were huge. High maintenance person, loves shopping, foreign movies at independent theaters, hair and nails, scared of roaches, doesn't like 'change', etc.
There is just no compatability....
I beg to differ ! I have always made the best out of bad situations (I do not consider Hilo a bad situation at all though mind you). It's not so much where you go, but how you work with what life hands you.
Hilo and Kona have all those things I am looking for (I do most of my clothing shopping online anyway) from salons and GASP, I can watch independent movies online! I even thought it would be fun to take a film class at the CC or university being a huge movie buff.
It's weird. I feel like I have to try to "prove" myself on the internet and the funny thing is the more I hear that I'm not right for Hawaii, the more I am up for the challenge.
You know Hilo is rainy and depressing right? Having lived in Wailuku, no way could I live on the rainy side of a Hawaiian island again. Dry side only. The difference is like Seattle vs So Cal
You know Hilo is rainy and depressing right? Having lived in Wailuku, no way could I live on the rainy side of a Hawaiian island again. Dry side only. The difference is like Seattle vs So Cal
Well Wink, you and I are different people so different strokes for different folks.
Been to Hilo many times at various times of the year and became friends with someone that has lived there since the 1960s. Looking at data online and going through with what he said, yes it has many rainy days, but this doesn't mean it rains 24 hours a day! My friend emailed me this a few days ago when I asked him about what to expect with the rain:
It does rain quite a bit here as we're located on the wet side of the island but since I have lived here most of the time it is at night. The rain ranges from brief drizzling to down pours. It can be pouring in the morning and then 2 hours later, the sun is shining. Sometimes it rains for weeks while other times there are really long dry periods.
Your comparison isn't very good considering that Seattle isn't really as bad as people once believed. I myself have not been to Seattle, but found a lot of interesting gems online including this one:
Despite being on the margin of the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, the city has a misleading reputation for frequent rain.[62] This reputation comes from the frequency of precipitation in the winter. In an average year, more than 0.01 in/0.3 mm of precipitation falls on 150 days. It is cloudy 201 days and partly cloudy 93 days.[59] The location of official weather and climatic records, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, is located about 12 miles south of downtown and records more cloudy days and fewer partly cloudy days per year.[63] At 944mm (37.17 in.), in reality, the city receives less precipitation annually than New York City (1201 mm, 47.28 in.), Atlanta (1290 mm, 50.79 in.), Boston (1055 mm, 41.53 in.), Baltimore (1038 mm, 40.87 in.), Portland, Maine (1128 mm, 44.41 in.), Jacksonville, Florida (1304 mm, 51.34 in.), and most cities on the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. Seattle was also not listed in a study that revealed the 10 rainiest cities in the continental United States. Most of the precipitation falls as drizzle or light rain.
Have you even been to San Diego? Last year we had many rainy days, many times though drizzling I would say. Our roads also frequently flood since we tend to get 2 storms a year (although not nearly as bad in other parts of the country). I don't think people realize that we also get ice on our car windows many times during the winter that we have to scrape off and use a spray on in order to get to work. My grandmother is from NY and visited us around Thanksgiving time the last 2 years and she was complaining about our weather!
You could tell me it pours 24 hours a day half the year with roaches past 5 feet tall, etc. and I would still be moving so no sense in trying to continue to scare me out of it or tell me what to expect considering I have been there many times and have a close friend who has been a local for years and years. If I'm miserable I will just post more frequently on here, cry everyday, and complain much more. Lucky City Data!
Your comparison isn't very good considering that Seattle isn't really as bad as people once believed. I myself have not been to Seattle, but found a lot of interesting gems online including this one:
I'm also of the opinion that Seattle/Portland winter's are no big deal. But I'm originally from the northern Midwest, where we get 6-7 months of continous snow on the ground. So going to the Northwest where summer's are much better than the Midwest, and the winters of the Pacific Northwest seldom sees snow stay on the ground at all. Than Portland/Seattle is an absolute dream comparitively. I never minded a drizzle of rain - I lived out in Oregon for a year, and it was the best winter of my life up to that date (in comparison to Michigan winters).
In short, it depends on a person's perspective. Most people who move to the Pacific Northwest are usually from California, hence you hear constant complaints about the weather. God forbid they moved to the Midwest or East Coast where it's actually worse.
I'm also of the opinion that Seattle/Portland winter's are no big deal. But I'm originally from the northern Midwest, where we get 6-7 months of continous snow on the ground. So going to the Northwest where summer's are much better than the Midwest, and the winters of the Pacific Northwest seldom sees snow stay on the ground at all. Than Portland/Seattle is an absolute dream comparitively. I never minded a drizzle of rain - I lived out in Oregon for a year, and it was the best winter of my life up to that date (in comparison to Michigan winters).
In short, it depends on a person's perspective. Most people who move to the Pacific Northwest are usually from California, hence you hear constant complaints about the weather. God forbid they moved to the Midwest or East Coast where it's actually worse.
In short, it's all relative.
Have you ever lived in a Pacific NW winter? Portland winter no big deal - not that's the funniest thing I've read on this forum yet. I moved from Honolulu to Portland last year September to help a friends startup. It was supposed to be 5 years. After initially being excited by no sales tax, cheap living, mountains, even casinos, and being able to drive in a straight line and not a circle was kinda appealing.
Then, in October the rain came - not a drizzling rain. At first no big deal. Then November came - and then the freezing, windy, sideways, 24 hour a day, 7 day a week rain came. Umbrella? Haha, forget it, you are getting soaked. You'd embrace snow - nothing worse than pouring rain in the upper 30's. For every 15 days, you might get a break 1 day from the rain.
By late January - I said life is short, I'm out of here. Of course, had to wait 120 days for the pets blood tests to get them to Hawaii. Yep, 120 more days of some of the most miserable weather I've experienced.
On top of that - you are so far north it isn't light out until almost 8:00am and dark about 4:15pm. Its just depressing.
I grew up in Chicago until my late 20's - I'd take a Chicago winter anytime over a Pacific NW winter. At least you see the sun occassionally.
I'm also of the opinion that Seattle/Portland winter's are no big deal. But I'm originally from the northern Midwest, where we get 6-7 months of continous snow on the ground. So going to the Northwest where summer's are much better than the Midwest, and the winters of the Pacific Northwest seldom sees snow stay on the ground at all. Than Portland/Seattle is an absolute dream comparitively. I never minded a drizzle of rain - I lived out in Oregon for a year, and it was the best winter of my life up to that date (in comparison to Michigan winters).
In short, it depends on a person's perspective. Most people who move to the Pacific Northwest are usually from California, hence you hear constant complaints about the weather. God forbid they moved to the Midwest or East Coast where it's actually worse.
In short, it's all relative.
It's not the inches of rain or snow... it's the dreariness. There's a reason grunge music was invented in Seattle. Hilo's 201 cloudy days and 93 partly cloudy is a lot-- for most of those "partly cloudy" days the sun is probably blocked. The rain every day also brings humidity, and everything just stays wet. You always feel the raininess and gloom, even when the clouds clear a little.
Sunshine for Hilo is way below the national average
Last edited by winkosmosis; 12-03-2011 at 11:40 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. As much as I like Hawaii again and have spent quite some time there in each stay on Hilo, is it the ideal place for me to relocate to? Nope, but fantastic job opportunity that really would open doors for me. G-d forbid I love hot pink, Hello Kitty, shopping, and spending money on feeling good. 
.
