Waianae... is it really that bad? (Honolulu, Kaneohe: rent, condos, violent crime)

[RoDeLano]

All of the military pages I follow seem to say “stay away from the W’s” and put heavy emphasis on living in Mililani.. however, the majority of the people commenting on those pages haven’t been in Hawaii very long, and probably don’t spend much time outside of base/tourist attractions.. so, what’s a local’s take on all of this?



I should probably specify most of the homes we’re interested in are in the Sea Country development. I’m assuming it will be a pretty rough commute in the mornings for my husband? (Pearl Harbor), but if he’s out of work before 3 most days, is there a good chance he’d miss traffic on his way home? Where we are now we are about 10 minutes from my husband’s work, but with morning traffic it still takes him 30 mins to an hour to get there, so if it’s comparable to that, it’s doable for us. (especially because we’ll at least love where we live, right now, not so much)


I understand it’s kind of out of the way of things, but that’s what we prefer. less people, more quiet, more room to breathe. And I don’t particularly buy into the “unfriendly locals” nonsense military wives seem to always use as a “con” of living off base.. I think overall if you’re nice to people, people will be nice to you, and we really want to experience everything Hawaii has to offer, making friends with locals is actually one of our top reasons we DON’T want to be on base surrounded by other military people.




The main reasons I’ve heard for people saying to stay away from the Leeward side (I really hope I’m getting this terminology right, making an effort! Haha) is crime.. but my understanding is that crime isn’t bad on Oahu compared to the mainland, mostly theft, right? Right now we live in Norfolk and on July 4th there were 4 shootings sending 15 people to the hospital, all of which were within 3 miles of my house.. so I’m thinking it can’t be worse than here.. We’ve found some seriously beautiful homes on that side of the island so I’m really hoping for good news on this lol




Also, schools, I know as a whole they are bad, and I’m assuming this wouldn’t be a favorable area, how difficult is it to get a Geographic Exception? And do these need to be reapplied for yearly, or is it a one time thing? I believe parents are just as accountable as the schools for their children’s education, I plan on supplementing at home either way, just curious

[ohhboy]

long time HI resident here. I wouldnt go to Wainae to live.

[pj737]

Originally Posted by RoDeLano

All of the military pages I follow seem to say “stay away from the W’s” and put heavy emphasis on living in Mililani.. however, the majority of the people commenting on those pages haven’t been in Hawaii very long, and probably don’t spend much time outside of base/tourist attractions.. so, what’s a local’s take on all of this?



I should probably specify most of the homes we’re interested in are in the Sea Country development. I’m assuming it will be a pretty rough commute in the mornings for my husband? (Pearl Harbor), but if he’s out of work before 3 most days, is there a good chance he’d miss traffic on his way home? Where we are now we are about 10 minutes from my husband’s work, but with morning traffic it still takes him 30 mins to an hour to get there, so if it’s comparable to that, it’s doable for us. (especially because we’ll at least love where we live, right now, not so much)


I understand it’s kind of out of the way of things, but that’s what we prefer. less people, more quiet, more room to breathe. And I don’t particularly buy into the “unfriendly locals” nonsense military wives seem to always use as a “con” of living off base.. I think overall if you’re nice to people, people will be nice to you, and we really want to experience everything Hawaii has to offer, making friends with locals is actually one of our top reasons we DON’T want to be on base surrounded by other military people.




The main reasons I’ve heard for people saying to stay away from the Leeward side (I really hope I’m getting this terminology right, making an effort! Haha) is crime.. but my understanding is that crime isn’t bad on Oahu compared to the mainland, mostly theft, right? Right now we live in Norfolk and on July 4th there were 4 shootings sending 15 people to the hospital, all of which were within 3 miles of my house.. so I’m thinking it can’t be worse than here.. We’ve found some seriously beautiful homes on that side of the island so I’m really hoping for good news on this lol




Also, schools, I know as a whole they are bad, and I’m assuming this wouldn’t be a favorable area, how difficult is it to get a Geographic Exception? And do these need to be reapplied for yearly, or is it a one time thing? I believe parents are just as accountable as the schools for their children’s education, I plan on supplementing at home either way, just curious

If your husband could get to work in 10 minutes with no traffic, he likely lived pretty close - less than 10 miles. Your husband will be driving 26+ miles twice each day. For an average car, that's $19/day in direct commuting costs. Assuming you have an "average" car, you could easily save $300/mo or more if you lived closer to your husband's work (e.g. Pearl City, Aiea, etc).

If you think being nice is all it takes for a "foreigner" to assimilate gracefully into the Waianae community and culture, you are going to be in for a rude awakening. Racism is blatantly alive and well in Waianae and you (assuming you're white) will be on the other end of what you're used to - you'll be the minority. All I'm saying is be prepared... being "nice" isn't what it takes to assimilate respectfully into the Waianae community. You'll have to have a VERY open mind and have a very high tolerance for things you may not like, may not accept or may not want in your life or around your children.

Crime (specifically violent crime) isn't bad on Oahu as an average when compared to other states. However, if you take Waianae's statistics only (and separated communities in the rest of the island), it would fall well into the bottom half of cities in other states. You'll need to be very, very concerned about theft in Waianae. If it's not secured or locked down, it will be stolen.

Can't chime in on GE's much... all I know is you're going to have a very hard time getting one.

[RoDeLano]

Good to know, still not going to count it out completely, I guess we'll see what vibe we get from the area when we get there. Where we are now we're about 1/2 a mile from supposedly one of the worst neighborhoods in Norfolk, and we've had no problems whatsoever.. My mother lives in a cute little CT suburb, and my car got broken into staying at her house.. so I try to not judge areas too harshly.. but I still want to make a responsible decision regarding my family's safety.

so, that being said.. where would you all recommend we look? Commute time to Pearl Harbor isn't a huge factor.. From what I've seen Honolulu isn't an option for us (an infant and a toddler in a high rise seems very inconvenient when coming and going, especially with anything extra) I've found some nice townhouses or condos in our price range in Aiea, Kaneohe, Kapolei, Mililani and Ewa (but I've heard similar things to what I heard about Waianae about Ewa, so I'm assuming that's probably not the best place to look either?)

I'll browse other threads for the info, but any input anyone has comparing those spots would be nice

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by RoDeLano

I've found some nice townhouses or condos in our price range in Aiea, Kaneohe, Kapolei, Mililani and Ewa (but I've heard similar things to what I heard about Waianae about Ewa, so I'm assuming that's probably not the best place to look either?)

I'd look into any of the places you mentioned, but I'd skip Ewa Beach, not because of crime, but more because of location and traffic issues. The other places you mentioned are vastly different from each other and you'll need to check them out in person.

Definitely skip Waianae.

[pj737]

Originally Posted by RoDeLano

Good to know, still not going to count it out completely, I guess we'll see what vibe we get from the area when we get there. Where we are now we're about 1/2 a mile from supposedly one of the worst neighborhoods in Norfolk, and we've had no problems whatsoever.. My mother lives in a cute little CT suburb, and my car got broken into staying at her house.. so I try to not judge areas too harshly.. but I still want to make a responsible decision regarding my family's safety.

so, that being said.. where would you all recommend we look? Commute time to Pearl Harbor isn't a huge factor.. From what I've seen Honolulu isn't an option for us (an infant and a toddler in a high rise seems very inconvenient when coming and going, especially with anything extra) I've found some nice townhouses or condos in our price range in Aiea, Kaneohe, Kapolei, Mililani and Ewa (but I've heard similar things to what I heard about Waianae about Ewa, so I'm assuming that's probably not the best place to look either?)

I'll browse other threads for the info, but any input anyone has comparing those spots would be nice

What's your rent price range including utilities? What's your budget for vehicle maintenance and gas? What kind of vehicle does your husband drive? Will you be working and commuting as well? How often will you and husband be driving into town? Public school only option? Is a yard/larger sqft home a must?

[Joliefille]

Anither vote against Waianae. Its just not doable for most mainlanders.

[kaimuki]

I was born and raised in Hawaii (Wahiawa). I like Waianae for a lot of reasons. If I didn't work in town, I would be happy to live there. All that said, I wouldn't recommend newcomers to the islands move there. The same applies to Wahiawa and Waipahu, though the subdivisions of Waipahu like Waikele, Waipio and Royal Kunia are better suited for those from Mainland.

[ScottStielow]

I have a friend who lives in Waianae, and he's retired Navy like i am. He has had no problems with his Neighbors, and are friendly. He does ensure he locks or puts away his stuff. It will walk away. His biggest issue is the traffic. He works at Pearl Harbor at the shipyard, in the same department as I do. So he doesn't have to make a real long drive but it still takes him a hour or two to get home depending on the traffic. The mileage from Waianae to Pearl harbor one way is 23 miles give or take depending where you live. Also only one way into Waianae H1 to Farrington Hwy. If there is a accident, or a weather event, like rain or high surf due to storms, then you are stuck in traffic, it happens.
Just some more information for you. Hope it helps. Best of luck in your search.

[hotzcatz]

Kaneohe would have a much better commute to Pearl than Waianae. You may want to also check out Kaimuki, the backside of Diamond Head, out towards Hawaii Kai, perhaps. Traffic on Oahu is brutal so you'll want to be as absolutely close to work as possible. What about on base housing? They just redid a lot of the housing and it's pretty nice. Close in to town, too, so it's easy to get to places from there. Safe for kiddos to wander around a bit, too.

In any case, can't you get temporary housing for a bit before you have to decide? Once you're on island and able to drive in from the different areas during the time he'd have to go to work, what is a doable commute and what isn't will become abundantly clear.