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We live in LA but is considering moving to Oahu due to threats of natural disasters, guns, crimes, etc.
What are some pros/cons of living in Oahu compared to LA?
Do they have threats of natural disasters, crimes, guns, etc?
That depends on what part of LA and to a lessor extent on what area of Oahu you are thinking about. There are some parts of LA that are very crime ridden ghetto areas. There are some higher crime areas of Oahu too, although I think the type of crime is far less violent in Oahu than in LA.
The area I've visited many times in LA is in Santa Ana where my brother in law lives. His area seems fine and he doesn't complain about crime problems. There is a very high probably of a major earthquake that is overdue in California. There is a risk that the criminal elements of the LA area that will try to take advantage of the chaos.
Most of the crimes are committed repeatedly by the same small fraction of the criminal population. I believe the career criminals should be cained, locked permanently in low cost foreign prisons, or executed. Those constantly repeat offenders add no value to our society and should be eliminated. However, that's not happening in America. There's a segment of the population in places like LA where the law abiding citizens are arming themselves to prepare for possible natural disasters events where there might not be any police response available.
I think from a safety perspective, Oahu is a better choice. Although there are problems with the supply chain for Hawaii, with food and other essentials. I understand that Oahu has about a one week supply of food on hand at any given time. If the food supply is cut off suddenly without warning, it could be a serious problem for some people that don't prepare and live hand to mouth on a daily basis. You can survive for years on rice and canned food if you keep a supply of food on hand just in case it is needed.
If you are still in your working years, Hawaii is probably not for you, unless you can bring your higher paying job with you. If you're income is in the top 5%, then you should in OK living in Hawaii. The cost of living is very high in Hawaii, especially Oahu, so you need a serious income. If you are already retired, you need a serious income stream and savings to be able to afford to live in Hawaii. If you're living anywhere close to the edge now, you can't afford to live in Hawaii.
The beach....the beach... the beach... Poke and beer on the beach at any time, day or night... surfing/wake boarding/paddleboarding at the beach... So many beautiful things about Hawaii, including the people.
It's second only to LA for traffic.
In the back of my mind was the possibility of a tsunami.....
If we could afford it, we'd come back to stay - maybe not on Oahu. We plan to come back for visits. You can't live there a year and not have Hawaii wedge itself firmly into your heart.
The general cost of living is higher on Oahu then in LA, there are just as many natural disasters in HI and CA and crime rates are probably pretty comparable.
The pros for Hawaii are weather, lifestyle and pace of life. The cons are limited job opportunity, island fever and higher food costs,
There is far less violent crime in Hawai'i, and far, far fewer shootings. The massive earthquakes and regular wildfires that are commonplace in LA County are almost unknown in Hawai'i.
You can generally make more money for a given job in LA, and the cost of living is a little less. There's far more variety to life and opportunity in LA, as one might expect from a metropolis that is roughly 17X the size.
Much of the food that is sold in Hawai'i is shipped from LA area harbors, so it's more expensive in Hawai'i and not as fresh.
If you get tired of LA, for a weekend or for a lifetime, it's pretty easy to drive away, as far as you wish.
Crime on Oahu, depends where you live. Not as Violent as the LA area, but its here.
Traffic is about even with LA as worst on Commute times, depends where you live. West Oahu, Eva Beach to down Town Honolulu during rush hour one-to-two hours with out accidents for an example. A lot of people leave early 4-5 am to try to beat the traffic to downtown.
Threats of natural disasters, Tsunami's and Hurricanes from 1 June through the end of November. We've had a few small Tsunami's over the last two to three years. Hurricanes the last one was November 11, 1993 which did a lot of damage on the Island of Kauai, and a little on the West Oahu coast. We've been lucky the last 20 years, but you never know when a Hurricane might pop up, during Hurricane season.
Cost of living on Oahu is very High to live here. Most families both parents work usually to get by. Depends on your Profession, the job you have now. Generally will not pay as high as in the LA area.
Scott
We have a lot of folks on this island who have run away from possible mainland zombie incursions. Lower cost of living and better self sufficiency here is why they chose this island.
When the big earthquake in California takes out the docks and the container ships aren't bringing food to Oahu anymore, we will send cows and such over to Oahu until they fix the docks in California. Parker Ranch is either the biggest or the second biggest ranch in the United States. So, as long as you're not vegetarian, there should be food on Oahu.
When we do have a natural disaster in the islands, the folks tend to help each other and not turn into some sort of predator. It is an island, we have to help each other. It's ingrained into the society here.
Last big earthquake, the 6.7, folks were out with their earth moving equipment clearing off the highways before the highway department could mobilize. Everyone went around and checked on their neighbors and shared what they had.
During Hurricane Iniki, everyone on our block brought their food out and we cooked it on barbeque grills and had a block party. No power, nothing much else to do. May as well have a party. Power was out for about a week, but nobody was bothered overmuch. That was back in the stone age before cellphones and internet, though.
That depends on what part of LA and to a lessor extent on what area of Oahu you are thinking about. There are some parts of LA that are very crime ridden ghetto areas. There are some higher crime areas of Oahu too, although I think the type of crime is far less violent in Oahu than in LA.
Most of the crimes are committed repeatedly by the same small fraction of the criminal population. I believe the career criminals should be cained, locked permanently in low cost foreign prisons, or executed. Those constantly repeat offenders add no value to our society and should be eliminated. However, that's not happening in America. There's a segment of the population in places like LA where the law abiding citizens are arming themselves to prepare for possible natural disasters events where there might not be any police response available.
Absolutely true. Animals like these should not be allowed to live among us. Execute them like China does. Sell their organs to repay society for the havoc they have caused.
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