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Location: Was in Western New York but now in Hilo Hawaii
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hotzcatz
Topographically speaking, the Island of Hawaii is very diverse. Of the thirteen possible types of geography, I think the only two we don't have are tundra and deep desert.
Guess that's just a basic problem with living on islands.
Your are correct Hotz. cept its out of the thirteen major climate zones the Big Island has eleven. in fact sitting in my wife's office at UHH you can count some of them up Mauna Kea. Also this does not include all the Micro climates we have here.
Sure, I'd be glad to elaborate a bit and if you'd like more detail you're welcome to send me a direct message through my profile. My wife and I moved from the Chattanooga, TN area three years after encountering the initial idea. From the time we committed to it, it was eighteen months to our arrival on island. During that time we had two scouting trips, ranging from a week to three weeks in duration. In between visits we educated ourselves through a number of books, local Hawaiian newspapers and the reading of forums.
After the move, the transition was very positive. We felt very much at home and have had nothing but positive experiences. I will note however that it took longer to find employment than anticipated and, in general, the transition was more costly than we had budgeted for (although we made our best effort in planning).
We are truly delighted to live here and aren't tempted in the slighted to go anywhere else. One thing that may be to our advantage in all this, however, is the fact that we have traveled and lived abroad extensively. As such, we've likely developed a broader worldview making it easier to adapt.
Last edited by 7th generation; 05-16-2010 at 06:13 AM..
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Oh my goodness, Ryan! We currently live at your former back door - just south of you on I-75! We live in Gordon county, GA and both work even closer to where you were in Dalton, Ga (Carpet Capital of the World! ). Howdy, neighbor!
We are at a slight lesser advantage since we've never lived abroa as you guys did. However, we are both laid back, easy-going people who enjoy living the simple life. I think we would really enjoy life on The Big Island. As far as worldview, I think ours is pretty broad and both tolerant and inclusive. I think we'll be ok in that arena.
If I think of any specific questions I'll DM you. Thanks for being willing to help.
Very happy to help. I suggest you purchase a copy of Affordable Paradise: The Secrets of an Affordable Life in Hawaii by H. Skip Thomsen. You'll find it on Amazon. Then, if you choose to visit, get in touch with us and we'd be happy to share with you from our experience. If country living interests you, then there's even more we can share. We've got five acres on the rural east side.
even when kona is more expensive than the rest of the big island, it's still cheap compared to any other island, from my expirience researching and doing our move. we chose kona because the rent may be a little higher, but not enough to make a difference. there are more jobs and sunshing. that won my vote! we found jobs and housing within 1 week. we lived very, very comfortably on BI, but i can't imagine we would be able to do so on Maui.
even when kona is more expensive than the rest of the big island, it's still cheap compared to any other island, from my expirience researching and doing our move. we chose kona because the rent may be a little higher, but not enough to make a difference. there are more jobs and sunshing. that won my vote! we found jobs and housing within 1 week. we lived very, very comfortably on BI, but i can't imagine we would be able to do so on Maui.
Aloha
Has there been any vog lately in Kona?
mahalo
Thisbloominglife, I lived in Atlanta for 25 years. I now live in Oregon, but my wife is from the BI, and we hope to retire there in 10 years or so. Our careers and finances don't permit it at the moment (and Oregon is beautiful, so we don't mind). I've spent a lot of time on the BI, Oahu, and Kaua'i, and I like them all. If money were no object, we'd probably retire in Honolulu because of the big-city cultural amenities, but it's unlikely we'll be able to afford even a modest house there. The BI is nice because it really is big -- you can get in your car and drive for hours, and there's a lot of geographic diversity. Hilo is probably where we'll end up because it's my wife's home town, and it's charming and has a slow pace of life. But we also like wet-site Kamuela because of the cooler climate and proximity to beaches, which are on the west side of the island (the east side is rocky). Volcano is a great little arts community with a cool climate (yeah, it's bit perverse to move to Hawaii for an Oregon-like climate), but the vog has been bad. Kona, aside from the vog, has heavy traffic and is more like Southern California, but I still enjoyed the vibe there. Kaua'i is similar in feel to the BI, and it has an incredible amount of scenic diversity packed into a small space. I think I could live there happily, but my wife has no friends or family there, so the BI makes more sense for us. I haven't been to Maui -- my wife finds it too touristy, but we'll visit it sooner or later so I can see it.
If you can, it really is a good idea to spend time in Hawaii before you visit, because it's not for everyone. However, I find that easy-going Southerners and easy-going Hawaiians have a lot in common. My wife had a wonderful time when I took her to Georgia to meet my family before we were married. What's funny is that her mother is really into the Old South and the Civil War era. She's spent her entire life on the BI, so to her, Hawaii is "normal," and the South is exotic.
Thisbloominglife, I lived in Atlanta for 25 years. I now live in Oregon, but my wife is from the BI, and we hope to retire there in 10 years or so. Our careers and finances don't permit it at the moment (and Oregon is beautiful, so we don't mind). I've spent a lot of time on the BI, Oahu, and Kaua'i, and I like them all. If money were no object, we'd probably retire in Honolulu because of the big-city cultural amenities, but it's unlikely we'll be able to afford even a modest house there. The BI is nice because it really is big -- you can get in your car and drive for hours, and there's a lot of geographic diversity. Hilo is probably where we'll end up because it's my wife's home town, and it's charming and has a slow pace of life. But we also like wet-site Kamuela because of the cooler climate and proximity to beaches, which are on the west side of the island (the east side is rocky). Volcano is a great little arts community with a cool climate (yeah, it's bit perverse to move to Hawaii for an Oregon-like climate), but the vog has been bad. Kona, aside from the vog, has heavy traffic and is more like Southern California, but I still enjoyed the vibe there. Kaua'i is similar in feel to the BI, and it has an incredible amount of scenic diversity packed into a small space. I think I could live there happily, but my wife has no friends or family there, so the BI makes more sense for us. I haven't been to Maui -- my wife finds it too touristy, but we'll visit it sooner or later so I can see it.
If you can, it really is a good idea to spend time in Hawaii before you visit, because it's not for everyone. However, I find that easy-going Southerners and easy-going Hawaiians have a lot in common. My wife had a wonderful time when I took her to Georgia to meet my family before we were married. What's funny is that her mother is really into the Old South and the Civil War era. She's spent her entire life on the BI, so to her, Hawaii is "normal," and the South is exotic.
Yeah! Fellow Peach-State-ers, represent! *high-fives you and passes you the sweet-tea*
Quote:
If you can, it really is a good idea to spend time in Hawaii before you visit, because it's not for everyone.
I'm assuming you meant to say it's a good idea to spend time in Hawaii before you MOVE...since I'm not sure how I'd spend time in Hawaii before visiting. Heheh - oh, if ONLY I had a Holi-deck! *Star Trek TNG geekery* In all seriousness, I will DEFINITELY be visiting before making any long-term, major life-altering decisions such as that one would be. What's the old saying? Don't buy a pig in a poke? Maybe that's just a southern saying?
How funny that your MIL finds the South "exotic"! I guess it really is all relative. She would have loved to have been at my house this weekend. Our house is located just south of where the Battle of Resaca took place and this weekend was the annual re-enactment (yep - they really do that! ). Cannons could be heard all day Saturday and Sunday. >.< My dog didn't really seem to appreciate it, though. We had to end up taking him for a nice long ride to settle his nerves. Poor thing! ***And, just to be clear, to any one who may have mis-read what I said there: I did NOT take my dog to the re-enactment...we could hear the cannon fire from our HOUSE. I am not an animal abuser!***
Incidentally, I also researched Oregon a bit as a possible relocation. Actually, I still have my Chamber of Commerce package from Bend, Oregon! Oregon is beautiful! In the end, though, we decided that if we were going to take the trouble of moving we wanted to move somewhere with more swim-able beaches (I hear that the Oregon coast, while beautiful is FREEZING and only the most die-hard actually want to get in the water! ). We love visiting Florida, for instance, because of the beautiful, warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico (I can take or leave the Atlantic side of the state )...but it is SO hot there in the summer, I just don't think I could take it full time (and that's coming from someone who has endured Georgia heat for well over 3 decades now! ).
We are only in the beginning, thinking-about-it stage at this point. It's good to hear though, that Southerners tend to fair well with Hawaiians. Maybe one day I can find out for myself.
Yeah! Fellow Peach-State-ers, represent! *high-fives you and passes you the sweet-tea*
Ah do declare -- thank you kahndly, good sir!
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I'm assuming you meant to say it's a good idea to spend time in Hawaii before you MOVE...since I'm not sure how I'd spend time in Hawaii before visiting.
Um... er... I meant Hawaii, the interactive video game, of course. After you experience Hawaii on your computer, then you visit. Then you move. Or something like that.
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How funny that your MIL finds the South "exotic"! I guess it really is all relative. She would have loved to have been at my house this weekend. Our house is located just south of where the Battle of Resaca took place and this weekend was the annual re-enactment (yep - they really do that! ). Cannons could be heard all day Saturday and Sunday. >.< My dog didn't really seem to appreciate it, though. We had to end up taking him for a nice long ride to settle his nerves. Poor thing! ***And, just to be clear, to any one who may have mis-read what I said there: I did NOT take my dog to the re-enactment...we could hear the cannon fire from our HOUSE. I am not an animal abuser!***
My wife found New York City to be exotic. She grew up on a cattle ranch on the BI, so Manhattan, which she knew only from television and the movies, was like an alien world to her.
Quote:
Incidentally, I also researched Oregon a bit as a possible relocation. Actually, I still have my Chamber of Commerce package from Bend, Oregon! Oregon is beautiful! In the end, though, we decided that if we were going to take the trouble of moving we wanted to move somewhere with more swim-able beaches (I hear that the Oregon coast, while beautiful is FREEZING and only the most die-hard actually want to get in the water! ).
Yes, the Oregon coast is one of the most stunning coastlines in the world. And yes, the water is icy. When my wife first moved here with her two young sons, and they took their first trip to the beach, the boys went running to the ocean and jumped in, as they always did in Hawaii. They jumped out just as quickly, and were crying: "Mommy, why is the water so cold?" If the ocean were warm, though, the PNW coast would be as crowded as Southern California's. I tell people that our weather keeps the riff raff away.
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We love visiting Florida, for instance, because of the beautiful, warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico (I can take or leave the Atlantic side of the state )...but it is SO hot there in the summer, I just don't think I could take it full time (and that's coming from someone who has endured Georgia heat for well over 3 decades now! ).
I used to love going to the Pensacola/Destin area of Florida, where I had friends who had a condo. By the way, if you do move to Hawaii, you'll want to rent before you buy (I almost typed "rent before you visit") so you can explore. Hawaii in general (and the BI in particular) has many microclimates, which isn't typical of Georgia. There are areas that get oppressively hot, and areas that are downright chilly. As a general rule, the higher up the side of Mauna Kea you get, the cooler the temperatures are, and the drier the area, the hotter the temperatures are, because the sun heats up the bare lava fields. You'll find some very cheap land prices in areas that are lava fields and/or high-risk lava-flow zones, so be careful.
Driving from Hilo to Kona is wonderful. The Haumakua Coast has tropical jungle areas. Once you get to the wet side of Kamuela, you think you've suddenly entered the PNW, except for the lask of Douglas firs. Every time I've been there, the weather has been chilly and breezy (i.e., perfect for someone who has become acclimated to Oregon). Then you cross over to the dry side, and you think you've entered the high desert of Nevada, with its lava fields, scrub bushes, and pickly pear cactus. Once you get to Kailua, it gets green again, but it's usually a few degrees warmer than in Hilo. Hawaii in general is humid like Florida, but it rarely gets above the mid 80s, and there are often trade winds, so I've rarely been uncomfortably hot in the places I've stayed.
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We are only in the beginning, thinking-about-it stage at this point. It's good to hear though, that Southerners tend to fair well with Hawaiians. Maybe one day I can find out for myself.
Hawaii has mosquitoes, ants, and flying cockroaches, just like in the South, which is one reason Southerners feel at home. Seriously, much of the culture is centered around family, friends, food, relaxing, food, and conversation. (Did I mention food?) If you go to a typical barbeque with kalua pig, macaroni salad, potato salad, etc., you'll think you're at a typical Southern barbeque, except that there are more Asian dishes at the Hawaiian version. People who don't do well in Hawaii are type-A folks, particularly Northeasterns who are also brusque and blunt, which is seen as very rude in the Islands. You know how Southerners feel about Yankees who move South and say, "That's not the way we do things up North"? It's the same for people who move to Hawaii and say, "That's not the way we do things on the Mainland." If you're respectful, easy going, and accept the fact that you're moving to a different culture and that you need to adapt to it, rather than vice versa, and if you genuinely love that culture, you'll do fine.
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in fact sitting in my wife's office at UHH you can count some of them up Mauna Kea. Also this does not include all the Micro climates we have here.
). Howdy, neighbor! 
*high-fives you and passes you the sweet-tea* 
