Is it easier to meet people on Oahu or Maui? (Honolulu: transplants, neighborhoods)

[Trails]

Well at first this would seem easy since Oahu has so many more people.

But it would seem that since Maui (or Kauai or BI) has much fewer people, you might run into people you recognize more. Being active in the community, whether in canoe clubs, hiking clubs, or volunteering is something I would look into.

Has anyone lived on Oahu vs. the other islands and found a difference in the ease of meeting people?

[winkosmosis]

The difference is small town vs big town.

Except for one thing... A lot of transplants to Maui leave in a year or two. And if you're new to Hawaii, those are the people you're most likely to be making friends with.

[orangecat]

That's just way too generalized. You do realize there's a lot of different neighborhoods with vastly different demographics on Oahu?

[Trails]

Ok, lets say living in downtown Honolulu, Waikiki, or Diamond Head area by the park vs. Downtown Lahaina or Honokowai / Napili.

[orangecat]

Originally Posted by Trails

Ok, lets say living in downtown Honolulu, Waikiki, or Diamond Head area by the park vs. Downtown Lahaina or Honokowai / Napili.

Basically, you're going to find it easier to coexist amongst the locals on Oahu, while on Maui it's going to be much more difficult as there tends to be resistance from locals wanting to associate with newly arrived mainlanders, unless they somehow have to. Not saying this will always happen, but is just my observations having lived on every island except for the BI.

"Downtown Lahaina" is extremely transient oriented. People come and go all the time. Actually that's pretty much the entire West maui as there is a stark contrast between the locals there and the mainlanders. Also, Kihei is like that as well but Kihei has a major advantage of being far more centrally located to upcountry and Kahului areas. Residents in West Maui tend to stay in West Maui unless they have an absolute need to drive through the winding Pali. It's almost like a whole 'nother island in itself.

Living in downtown hnl ,if you can afford it, or a non-slum area in Waikiki is wonderful because it's so centrally located and you come across far more people who aren't, well let me put it bluntly, bums with no money.

[CyberCity]

Well, there are certainly MORE people on Oahu. But does that make it easier to "meet" people? That is sort of like asking if it easier to meet people on crowded BART in SF than it is to meet someone sitting next to you in a small coffee shop? (That is, having more people does not automatically make it "easier".)

[hotzcatz]

If you find an area where there aren't as many people and most of them aren't new transplants, you'll probably have a pretty easy time meeting people. A lot of rural areas kinda like meeting new people since there's not much else going on and new people are usually good for some interesting conversations as they try to figure things out.

[aqua0]

Maui feels like it's getting more populated and crowded. It's not hard to meet people, but it may be hard to meet people you want to be good friends with. A lot of people stick to their own existing circle of friends or family. Also, people tend to stay in their own area and not wish to drive farther.

For example, if they live in Lahaina, they're not going to want to drive to Paia where you live to hang out with you for the afternoon. Or vice versa. I know people who live in Kahana and won't even go to Lahaina for lunch.

With rising gas prices, it's even more prohibitive. I do notice the people who complain the most about not being able to make friends are themselves not the easiest to get along with. They are overly sensitive to slights and prickly like a porcupine. If you're easygoing and outgoing, and you're patient, in time, you wouldn't have a problem making friends.