Oahu Windward Demographics (Honolulu, Kaneohe, Kailua: real estate, neighborhood, income)

[SpongeLord417]

I plan to move to the windward side in Feb.'23 and recently stumbled across something I hope someone has an explanation for. That is, according to 2000 census data cited by Wiki, the White population of Kailua is 44% and Asian 21%. In neighboring Kaneohe, the % are reversed with White at 35.5% and Asian 20.5%. Since I've lived almost half my life in Japan (& about as white as they get), either is OK, but am curious why the % flip-flop. Income? Commute? Community? what?

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by SpongeLord417

Income?

Likely income - Kailua is much more expensive than Kaneohe.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by SpongeLord417

according to 2000 census data cited by Wiki, the White population of Kailua is 44% and Asian 21%. In neighboring Kaneohe, the % are reversed with White at 35.5% and Asian 20.5%.

Huh? Those numbers are not flipped at all.

[SpongeLord417]

OpenD: You are right. But that was my Typo; thanks for catching it. Kaneohe data should read Asian 35.5% and White 20.5%. Sorry for the confusion.

Whtviper1: And that is precisely why I'm now considering Kaneohe. So, why do you think it's much more expensive? Shorter Honolulu commute difference? (What, 15 minutes longer?) Or, just nicer real estate? More trendy? Wadda ya think? Any obvious downsides to Kaneohe?

[hotzcatz]

Kaneohe doesn't have the big white sand beach that Kailua does. It also rains a bit more in Kaneohe but not that much more. Kaneohe is more of a working class neighborhood and Kailua likes to think of itself as a bit better, although they are very similar. I'd say it's mostly the beach, though, that makes Kailua more expensive than Kaneohe. For folks who live here, they know that they only usually go to the beach on the weekends and Kailua is easy to drive to from Kaneohe so then it's okay to live in Kaneohe where things are a bit less expensive. You get a lot of folks moving over from the mainland who want to "live on the beach" so they flock to Kailua and are willing to pay more to live there. Even though the beach is still several blocks away.

[SpongeLord417]

Thanks, hotzcatz! I currently travel 2.5 hrs to get to my preferred bodyboarding spot on the Pacific side of the Chiba peninsula, having to cross the center of the city of Tokyo, with road tolls eating my lunch at $50 each way, no BS! Besides, I like being "working class". Your insight puts the Asian population question into better perspective. Mahalo!
If you don't mind, "flooding" seems to be a consideration on some real estate sites. Any hearsay or views on this would also be appreciated.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by SpongeLord417

Whtviper1: And that is precisely why I'm now considering Kaneohe. So, why do you think it's much more expensive? Shorter Honolulu commute difference? (What, 15 minutes longer?) Or, just nicer real estate? More trendy? Wadda ya think? Any obvious downsides to Kaneohe?

If you want to be walking distance or a 10 minute or less drive to the beach - then you live in Kailua.

Many properties have views from the hills - thus driving up the housing price and requiring higher income.

The drive to downtown, Ala Moana, Waikiki, East Oahu is quite a bit less.

It rains a lot more in Kaneohe - 53 inches compared to 41 inches in Kailua - let's face it, you can't enjoy the beach in the rain usually.

More bars and restaurants in Kailua - therefore more of a social scene. It is strip mall heaven in Kaneohe.

[Dthraco]

Originally Posted by SpongeLord417

I currently travel 2.5 hrs to get to my preferred bodyboarding spot...

Makapu'u and Sandy's are some of the better bodyboarding breaks on the island. Kailua is closer to them.
If you want to walk to good bodyboarding, move to Waikiki...there's The Wall and Kaisers...walking distance to either side of waikiki (depending on which side you live on).

[manoa_quesadilla]

Originally Posted by SpongeLord417

Thanks, hotzcatz! I currently travel 2.5 hrs to get to my preferred bodyboarding spot on the Pacific side of the Chiba peninsula, having to cross the center of the city of Tokyo, with road tolls eating my lunch at $50 each way, no BS! Besides, I like being "working class". Your insight puts the Asian population question into better perspective. Mahalo!
If you don't mind, "flooding" seems to be a consideration on some real estate sites. Any hearsay or views on this would also be appreciated.

In case you're wondering, the rich Asians tend to like areas closer to town such as Manoa, Diamond head, Kahala and Hawaii Kai better. (source: friend who's a real estate agent)

[manoa_quesadilla]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

If you want to be walking distance or a 10 minute or less drive to the beach - then you live in Kailua.

Many properties have views from the hills - thus driving up the housing price and requiring higher income.

The drive to downtown, Ala Moana, Waikiki, East Oahu is quite a bit less.

It rains a lot more in Kaneohe - 53 inches compared to 41 inches in Kailua - let's face it, you can't enjoy the beach in the rain usually.

More bars and restaurants in Kailua - therefore more of a social scene. It is strip mall heaven in Kaneohe.

at least there's a Sears in Kaneohe, that's gotta count for something, right?