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Scott, I really enjoyed that article. Thanks for sharing. I must say, I'm jealous of all you lucky people who live in Hawaii! I love my beach home, here in Oregon, but the lush, tropical parts of the Islands call to me--bugs and all :-).
Scott, I really enjoyed that article. Thanks for sharing. I must say, I'm jealous of all you lucky people who live in Hawaii! I love my beach home, here in Oregon, but the lush, tropical parts of the Islands call to me--bugs and all :-).
Thank you for the reply.
Oregon coast brings back a lot of fond memories. The Family and I (Mom, Dad and two younger brothers).
Rented a trailer that we hooked to the back bumper of our car, in those days. Summer of 1967.
We started at Astoria and Ft Stevens and camped at most of the Oregon state parks all the way down the coast, to Honey Man State park for two weeks. We lived at the time in Kent Washington, with Relatives living in Vancouver Washington and some down in Medford Oregon.
Sounds like you have a nice place, Irish Eyes, yourself.
Thank you for the reply.
Oregon coast brings back a lot of fond memories. The Family and I (Mom, Dad and two younger brothers).
Rented a trailer that we hooked to the back bumper of our car, in those days. Summer of 1967.
We started at Astoria and Ft Stevens and camped at most of the Oregon state parks all the way down the coast, to Honey Man State park for two weeks. We lived at the time in Kent Washington, with Relatives living in Vancouver Washington and some down in Medford Oregon.
Sounds like you have a nice place, Irish Eyes, yourself.
I dare say that the Oregon coast has changed a bit since 1967 :-). I grew up visiting the beach approximately every other week as a child in the '60s and '70s, myself, so I remember those halcyon days very well. Much more crowded, at least from the north to the central Oregon coast, and more expensive, nowadays. Probably like anywhere else :-). Cannon Beach, which, when I was a youngin', was a quaint little town and not too crowded, is now an upscale, very touristy town. I can hardly bear to be there, anymore, and usually only go there to get to Ecola State Park, where the views from the top are to die for (and right now, while the Gray Whales are migrating, the perfect place to whale watch). Seaside, of course, is packed to the gills (I can't stand it, so we never visit there), and the traffic from Astoria to Newport is, generally speaking, bumper to bumper in any decent sized town on holidays, during summer, and on nice weekends at any time of year. We know all of the back roads in our town, and use those if we need to go somewhere at those times, but there is at least one place where you have to get back on the highway for a few blocks, and it can be miserable. I think I'd leave town at times like the 4th of July, but nowhere else is any better, so we generally speaking don't drive at all on days like that, unless we feel like seeing the fireworks, in which case, you have to drive or walk several miles along the beach to get to Taft. Leaving REALLY early is key to getting decent parking near the fireworks. But it's a hassle. Just goes to show what a few decades will do anywhere nice :-).
As for our home a block from the beach, we got it VERY cheap. WELL under the price of anything else in the area. It's habitable, but definitely a fixer, which we're doing ourselves a bit at a time as we can afford it. Our sweat equity has more than doubled the value of the place, now, with more to be done. So it's just a little cottage, but we're happy, here. Being small, though (<800 sq. feet), I'm pretty sure we'd do fine in Hawaii's smaller homes. I just need to jettison a whole bunch of stuff, as we have two homes (the larger one in PDX is about to go on the market), plus when my mom died a year ago, we inherited a whole bunch of her furniture and stuff. So clutter is a problem. I've given away and donated a bunch of stuff, but we still had to hire a storage unit. Small homes have their challenges, but we know from experience that we can live comfortably and happily in such places.
I can feel the stress just melting away here--and, I'm fairly certain, will feel the same way in Hawaii. We shall see!
800 square feet is even a bit on the small side for a Big Island house. Oahu has smaller spaces since it's more expensive, but for the Big Island, 800 square feet would actually be on the lower end of the scale. Between 1,000 and 1,500 is about the average size of a 3/2 is what I'd guess.
800 square feet is even a bit on the small side for a Big Island house. Oahu has smaller spaces since it's more expensive, but for the Big Island, 800 square feet would actually be on the lower end of the scale. Between 1,000 and 1,500 is about the average size of a 3/2 is what I'd guess.
1500 sq. feet would be fantastic for us. The home in Portland that we're putting on the market this month is that size, and it was plenty big enough for us. I'd love to find another that size, someday--especially in Hawaii on the BI. Or remodel this little beach house to double the size :-).
I dare say that the Oregon coast has changed a bit since 1967 :-). I grew up visiting the beach approximately every other week as a child in the '60s and '70s, myself, so I remember those halcyon days very well. Much more crowded, at least from the north to the central Oregon coast, and more expensive, nowadays. Probably like anywhere else :-). Cannon Beach, which, when I was a youngin', was a quaint little town and not too crowded, is now an upscale, very touristy town. I can hardly bear to be there, anymore, and usually only go there to get to Ecola State Park, where the views from the top are to die for (and right now, while the Gray Whales are migrating, the perfect place to whale watch). Seaside, of course, is packed to the gills (I can't stand it, so we never visit there), and the traffic from Astoria to Newport is, generally speaking, bumper to bumper in any decent sized town on holidays, during summer, and on nice weekends at any time of year. We know all of the back roads in our town, and use those if we need to go somewhere at those times, but there is at least one place where you have to get back on the highway for a few blocks, and it can be miserable. I think I'd leave town at times like the 4th of July, but nowhere else is any better, so we generally speaking don't drive at all on days like that, unless we feel like seeing the fireworks, in which case, you have to drive or walk several miles along the beach to get to Taft. Leaving REALLY early is key to getting decent parking near the fireworks. But it's a hassle. Just goes to show what a few decades will do anywhere nice :-).
As for our home a block from the beach, we got it VERY cheap. WELL under the price of anything else in the area. It's habitable, but definitely a fixer, which we're doing ourselves a bit at a time as we can afford it. Our sweat equity has more than doubled the value of the place, now, with more to be done. So it's just a little cottage, but we're happy, here. Being small, though (<800 sq. feet), I'm pretty sure we'd do fine in Hawaii's smaller homes. I just need to jettison a whole bunch of stuff, as we have two homes (the larger one in PDX is about to go on the market), plus when my mom died a year ago, we inherited a whole bunch of her furniture and stuff. So clutter is a problem. I've given away and donated a bunch of stuff, but we still had to hire a storage unit. Small homes have their challenges, but we know from experience that we can live comfortably and happily in such places.
I can feel the stress just melting away here--and, I'm fairly certain, will feel the same way in Hawaii. We shall see!
Yes. I was afraid of that. The change to the Oregon Coast from back in the 60's and 70's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Irish Eyes_Mrs. Z
1500 sq. feet would be fantastic for us. The home in Portland that we're putting on the market this month is that size, and it was plenty big enough for us. I'd love to find another that size, someday--especially in Hawaii on the BI. Or remodel this little beach house to double the size :-).
The Big Island sounds like just the place for you. Just have find the area that you like?
Best of luck in your search
In the past month or so that I've been actively reading posts on this forum, especially as regards perhaps someday relocating to The Big Island, I have noted that many, many people talk about "the spirit of Aloha", and being willing to give to the community to have the best chance of prospering and being happy living in Hawaii.
So I am curious if people would like to share what they do to foster that "spirit of Aloha" in their lives, neighborhoods, and communities? I'd love to hear from anyone and everyone, from locals to newbies, Haoles to Hawaiian natives. Rich, poor, or in between. Whether you've gated yourself away in a rich person's enclave, or whether you live in a subdivision, or out in a rural area with few neighbors. With or without children. In other words, how do YOU give back to the Islands and the people who share them with you?
Share, please, if you will. I'm always interested in opportunities to help make wherever we live a little better or more pleasant for both us and our neighbors and friends. Thanks! I look forward to your replies.
"ALOHA" is hard to come by in hawaii.... now days. You see it here and there but not like when I grew up. At a local diner Aunty was sitting next to me... she was an older lady. I turn to her and say, I hope you don't mind but, I paid for your meal... she said.. why?? I said God Bless....
another time same location.. Liliha Bakery.... some stink homeless guys sits next to me... I turn to him and say. "EH Brah, what you like eat I treat you" after he was said and done he left and said, thank you... "no worries Brah. ALOHA"
I look Hawaiian..... In the mainland some woman wouldn't want to help me, gave me an attitude. She found out I was from Hawaii... her attitude changed, why?? cause of what I looked like or where I was from?
in court the plaintiffs attorney lies about me. during his testimony he mentions his dad passing 2 months ago. Judge says to me if I had anything to add to the case... I said I wanted to offer my condolences...
No ALOHA... never post anything sovereignty related.. and don't ASK WHY...
Mod cut: discussing mod actions
Yes. I was afraid of that. The change to the Oregon Coast from back in the 60's and 70's.
The Big Island sounds like just the place for you. Just have find the area that you like?
Best of luck in your search
From my research, I think I'd prefer to live on the wetter, more lush east side of the state. I have friends who live in Orchidlands Estates, south of Hilo, but not quite in the path of danger for the current lava flows. Photos she shares, with descriptions of her and her husband's lives, there, look and sound like something I would really enjoy, myself. Most, if not all, of the lots are about 3 acres, which is plenty of land for us to grow things, and perhaps keep a horse or pony to keep any grass grazed short, as my husband doesn't enjoy mowing very much :-). Other than that area, there are some beautiful places along the coastline north of Hilo where I would love to live, especially if I could find something close to any beach (we currently live one block from the beach, on a 50' cliff overlooking the ocean and another block to beach access on either side of our place, and I absolutely LOVE our proximity to the ocean)--or at least with a good ocean view. Not sure we could afford to purchase a place there, though. Properties appear to be fairly expensive in that area. My husband's salary is in the mid $100K range atm (not including benefits), and I'm not sure that it would be sufficient to purchase and pay the mortgage on the homes I've seen for sale (mostly in the $450K and up range) north of Hilo along the coast. I'm pretty sure we could afford to buy property in the area of Orchidlands Estates, though. Prices there seem fairly reasonable :-).
Other areas I find interesting include the city of Volcano and environs (for the cooler climate that we're used to), and the Lava Zone 1 and 2 areas near Pahoa, Hawaiian Beaches, and all those other places south and east in the path of the current lava flow. We wouldn't ever consider buying property in those areas, though--at least not as long as Kileuea is still fairly active. I can't say that I'm all that interested in the west side, because I don't like arid and hot, and I really don't enjoy tourist trap areas, which much of the west coast seems to be like, from what I can tell. I've seen some nice places inland, of course, but I would prefer to be as close to the ocean as we can afford, should the time ever come when we actually relocate.
From my research, I think I'd prefer to live on the wetter, more lush east side of the state. I have friends who live in Orchidlands Estates, south of Hilo, but not quite in the path of danger for the current lava flows. Photos she shares, with descriptions of her and her husband's lives, there, look and sound like something I would really enjoy, myself. Most, if not all, of the lots are about 3 acres, which is plenty of land for us to grow things, and perhaps keep a horse or pony to keep any grass grazed short, as my husband doesn't enjoy mowing very much :-). Other than that area, there are some beautiful places along the coastline north of Hilo where I would love to live, especially if I could find something close to any beach (we currently live one block from the beach, on a 50' cliff overlooking the ocean and another block to beach access on either side of our place, and I absolutely LOVE our proximity to the ocean)--or at least with a good ocean view. Not sure we could afford to purchase a place there, though. Properties appear to be fairly expensive in that area. My husband's salary is in the mid $100K range atm (not including benefits), and I'm not sure that it would be sufficient to purchase and pay the mortgage on the homes I've seen for sale (mostly in the $450K and up range) north of Hilo along the coast. I'm pretty sure we could afford to buy property in the area of Orchidlands Estates, though. Prices there seem fairly reasonable :-).
Other areas I find interesting include the city of Volcano and environs (for the cooler climate that we're used to), and the Lava Zone 1 and 2 areas near Pahoa, Hawaiian Beaches, and all those other places south and east in the path of the current lava flow. We wouldn't ever consider buying property in those areas, though--at least not as long as Kileuea is still fairly active. I can't say that I'm all that interested in the west side, because I don't like arid and hot, and I really don't enjoy tourist trap areas, which much of the west coast seems to be like, from what I can tell. I've seen some nice places inland, of course, but I would prefer to be as close to the ocean as we can afford, should the time ever come when we actually relocate.
Sounds like you are well on your way. I agree with what you say about the West coast, Kona dry side.
Orchidlands Estates i have heard it is nice there.
Best of luck in your search.
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