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Old 03-05-2008, 07:35 PM
 
3 posts, read 18,421 times
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Been considering moving to Hawaii for a long time now and I have a couple questions. I'd like to live in a city with a low population and open spaces that's not insane when it comes to housing prices. Which island and cities would you recommend? Also I have degrees in Computer Sciences and Enviromental Science/Conservation, are there decent jobs in these fields there?

Thanks,
Kevin
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Old 03-07-2008, 12:24 AM
cwm
 
Location: Hilo, Hawaii
27 posts, read 148,823 times
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Hi Kevin,
If you are into astronomy, the Observatories on the Big Island, often have programming jobs. The Big Island has the lowest cost of living and sparsest population. Here are some job links that might help in your search:
Making an Income in Hilo, Hawaii
chris
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Old 03-09-2008, 12:02 AM
 
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Oahu is the growing island and the fastest. There development is growing daily and jobs are here on demand. Cost of living is expense but if u have a job to meet the needs then it balance out. If you love the city Waikiki would be a great location downtown honolulu.

Good luck!
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Old 03-09-2008, 01:26 AM
 
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Default Fellow computer science mover

Hi Kevin,

I like you wanted to move to a lower density area in Hawaii with decent housing availablity.

I moved over 6 months ago from Portland Oregon to Hilo and have found it perfect for my needs. I'd recommend any part of the eastern side of the Big Island for the best overall job / pricing / density / beauty .

If your profession deals with IT or software Hilo or Waimea is probably where you'll end up on the Big Island. Hilo has this going for it from the software / IT side of things:
1) 2nd largest city in Hawaii (a whopping 41,000 people!!!) , more industry overall
2) Has a large University of Hawaii campus
3) Is the center for many international Observatories (command / data centers are located right next to the University)
Caltec Sub-Millimeter
Canada, France Hawai'i Telescope
Gemini Telescope Also look here
Harvard Sub-Millimeter Array
Joint Astronomy Centre
Keck I and Keck II
Subaru Telescope
UH Institute for Astronomy
4) Still affordable compared to Seattle, Portland, SF, LA, etc.. (at least in my opinion)
5) Medical hub / center

The best Big Island job consolidation site I've found is this one:
[url=http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Jobs]Instant Hawaii (Jobs)[/url]

Marcus
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Old 03-09-2008, 04:36 PM
 
Location: Kamuela (aka Waimea) HI
65 posts, read 288,640 times
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Great advice, Marcus. Kevin, after landing your job in Hilo, join a canoe club. Hilo has one of the state's best. It's a good way to get involved in the community while getting in the best shape of your life.
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Old 03-09-2008, 07:01 PM
 
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Thanks, done a bit of research and yea theres a good amount of IT jobs in Hilo. Still 40,000 people is a bit big for me, I live in a city now with about 8,000. Any other recommendations?

Thanks again,
Kevin
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Old 03-09-2008, 08:29 PM
 
Location: Kailua, Oahu, HI and San Diego, CA
1,178 posts, read 5,931,489 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperKevin View Post
Thanks, done a bit of research and yea theres a good amount of IT jobs in Hilo. Still 40,000 people is a bit big for me, I live in a city now with about 8,000. Any other recommendations?

Thanks again,
Kevin
For a small town feel, you could look into Kauai, but you will find housing prices higher there than the big island, and (I think) IT jobs scarcer. Maybe a small town outside of Hilo? Ask Cynmkolohe.

Hank
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Old 03-10-2008, 02:46 PM
 
Location: Big Island of Hawaii
1,375 posts, read 6,289,746 times
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Are you willing to commute?

If you are looking for a smaller town on the Big Island, I would suggest Hawi as a possibility--which would require a commute into Waimea.

Or the Volcano area--which would probably require a commute into Hilo. Welcoming small community feel, but you have to enjoy the weather at that altitude. Cool and plenty of rainy days. But lush, few coqui frogs to speak of, a couple of great places to eat, a weekly market at the Cooper Center.... see: Volcano Community Association for more information.

Parts of the Volcano area are in the Puna district, which is known for being the more affordable area on the Big Island in terms of housing prices. Pahoa and Kurtistown/Mountain View are also communities in Puna that are outside Hilo, but that would allow a reasonable commute into town if you found work in Hilo.
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Old 03-26-2008, 09:29 PM
 
18 posts, read 128,591 times
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Default Make careful decisions...

I see someone said Oahu is growing the fastest. Recent news shows that the Big Island is growing fastest with a 2% population increase this past year. The Big Island is followed by Maui then Kauai. Unfortunately these islands are not benefitting from these population increases as the services and infrastructure are designed for a much smaller population. Oahu has had a 1% population DECREASE this past year. Obtaining a good job on any of the island will be hard as all islands still run on the Old Boy system (know the annoying politics in Hawaii as they are some of the most frustrating in the country).

As for the Big Island where I currently live:

Hawaii is facing a major health care crisis and it is hitting the Big Island, including Hilo, the worst. If you have an emergency and the doctors haven't the means to treat you, a helicopter will lift you up and take you to an Oahu hospital. This has happened to at least two people I know and I've only lived here two years. The Big Island has a severe hospital, doctor and specialist shortage due to lack of reimbursement from insurance companies. The emergency room at the Hilo Medical Center has had some terrifying reviews related to sanitation and waiting periods.

The drug problem is bad only in a few neighborhoods. My front neighbors sell drugs out of their home so when I'm out I leave my dog inside the house to keep intruders out.

As for the traffic, it's only annoying during rush hour (before and after work). Keep in mind everyone on the East side of the Big Island relies on the same few resources located inside Hilo. This means you will constantly get a congested parking lot at Walmart and the mall...where practically all your needs will be located. The weekends are generally pretty congested too. Keep in mind I've spent most my life in San Francisco and have experienced traffic similar to the claustrophobic stop-and-go traffic all over Hilo.

Again, there was a recent 2% increase of population on the Big Island and a 1% DECREASE population in Oahu. It's only getting more crowded here as the resources/services remain inadequate.

If you plan to have children, most the public schools here are failing. I teach at an elementary school myself where 40% of the teachers are not certified, but instead are substitutes who will come and go. The standards of education on the Big Island have risen over the years but are still no where close to where they should be if the Big Island wants their children to compete with the rest of the country.

Also the vog that blankets over the skies of Hilo every now and then gets very irritating. Hawaii has the highest asthma incidences in the country probably related to the gases emitted from the volcano (VOG). I was raised in San Francisco and I have to say, the cold air and wind did a good job at blowing the pollution inland.

As for Hilo, the "variable winds" which seems to translate as "almost no tradewinds" does little to combat to VOG thereby leaving you no choice but to stay indoors with air conditioning. During these voggy periods, the radio news will usually advise Big Island residents to stay indoors with air conditioning. No joke, the volcanic pollution has made me choke and cough before.

As for the restaurants, there are only a handfull of good ones with decent service. Ken's, the Coconut Grill, Pescatore...and a few others I would recommend. Up in Volcano, the Volcano House Lodge has a fantastic restaurant as well. Eating at most of the restaurants in Hilo is hit or miss and the service will be disappointing if you're used to good service. However, if you choose to take a lengthy drive to Waimea or Kona, the decent restaurants and good service are everywhere as you would find it in Honolulu and other big cities.


- I live in Hilo.
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Old 09-09-2008, 09:09 PM
 
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If you're looking for small-town atmosphere, then Hilo and the various surrounding areas on the East Side of the Island of Hawaii are for you! You can find any kind of population density you want on this side of the island -- from extremely remote and forest-y/jungle-y to more town-like. I actually live right in Hilo proper (on a lush one-acre lot) yet I am surrounded by vast acreages of farmland and forest on all sides and everything is green and there is no traffic at all. While that's fairly rare for Hilo proper, most people who work in or around Hilo actually live in the outlying areas which are quite beautiful and sparsely populated.

Hilo and the rest of this eastern side of the Big Island are the only places in the state (except possibly the unliveable and jobless Moloka'i and Lana'i) that have retained the feel and atmosphere of old Hawaii -- casual and homey and friendly and relaxed and slow --- very non-touristy. Also, this island is as big as the state of Connecticut -- much bigger than all of the other 6 islands COMBINED -- so you can find whatever environment, population density, and micro-climate that suits you.

Both of your fields are very important on this island. You could actually live most anywhere you choose on this island, and make a decent living. You could actually do freelance computer consulting -- there are very few techies here so computer help is always in demand -- as well or exclusively, and make a decent living.

Contrary to a report above, vog is NOT a problem in Hilo or East Hawaii. The wind blows the vog westward to Kona, and even there it is not a problem unless you are asthmatic or have respiratory weakness. I've lived in Hilo for 6 years and have NEVER had the slightest problem with vog, except for one week this year when the volcano was very active and the tradewinds were lax. The only problem I had that week was that my eyes were dry and I wanted eyedrops.

Lastly, never plan to move somewhere unless you've visited first. With an area this big (East Side of the Big Island), you'll never be able to take it in in a visit of less than two to three weeks, but at least you could get a small feel during that time and ask questions while you are here. Also, if you want to move to the state of Hawaii, you have to make sure that tropical climate and all that it entails -- humidity, heat, rain, mold, rust, sunburn -- are acceptible to you.

One last note -- you might also want to look into Kaua'i. It's small and there's not much going on there; however there is the high tourism aspect and the cost of living is certainly higher there. It's also a very small island and unlike with the Big Island (which is so huge) island fever can quickly set in.

Anyway, I hope the above was helpful.
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