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I lived in town, and husband had to run to a store 7.5 miles away during rush hour. He was gone 1.5 hours.
I had a similar story when I had to go pick something up in the same area, and it took the same amount of time. This was Kalihi Valley to Kakaako.
It does not take 1.5 hours of commuting to get from Kalihi Valley to Kakaako round trip during rush hour. Even on a Friday afternoon. He probably just spent 40 minutes in the store... or he has no idea how to navigate downtown during rush hour. There of course could have been a traffic anomaly (accident on the freeway that snarls surface street traffic too). But to claim that to be normal thing is ridiculous.
I am curious as to what everyone calls a brutal commute. Coming from Atlanta, we've done the 15 mile commutes that take 45 minutes. Dallas (where we are now) is a walk through the park in comparison. When people here complain about traffic, I politely smile and nod and think they don't have a clue. Atlanta and Honolulu seem to be on about the same level, misery wise.
Those "studies" are always useless. 49 hours/year average for Oahu? That's only 8 mins a day. People that live in Ewa Beach spend 49 hours a MONTH in traffic. Unless you live right inside the urban core and work inside the urban core, I can't imagine anyone living here spending only 49 hours a year in traffic. I understand that the studies take the normal commute time (sans traffic) out of the equation to get their final numbers... but still... only 8 mins a day in traffic congestion related delays would be a dream for anyone living here.
Our culture is different here... locals are much less tolerant of mainland people of traffic because we live on a tiny rock. We obviously can't do road trips and long journeys by car. We just know from A to B and the distance is always tiny relative to that on the mainland so we have an expectation of short trips and short trips only. When they take longer we become poignantly annoyed. And suburbanization on the West side is a fairly new phenomena (historically) when compared to suburbanization in most mainland cities. That is, we were late in the game in ruining our city with the brilliantly dumb concept of suburbanization. So traffic has gotten progressively worse in a much smaller time frame. Those peeps on the mainland have had a bit more time to get used to it.
Msjwilliams, your very smart move is that you are renting for a period of time prior to considering a purchase. That will give you and your family time to consider some of the aspects of living here, yet unrealized (believe me, there will be many) and as described by the various posters in this thread. Atlanta and Dallas have more in common with each other than either have with Oahu. Good luck!
Msjwilliams, your very smart move is that you are renting for a period of time prior to considering a purchase. That will give you and your family time to consider some of the aspects of living here, yet unrealized (believe me, there will be many) and as described by the various posters in this thread. Atlanta and Dallas have more in common with each other than either have with Oahu. Good luck!
Thank you! Atlanta and Dallas are basically identical as far as cost of living and lifestyle. Atlanta's traffic is terrible but it's much prettier than Dallas, so there's that. I hope no one from Dallas reads this, but it's far and away one of the ugliest cities in the US. Another debate for another forum, I suppose.
Our move is a done deal now and we're committed to a 3 year minimum. I'm really looking forward to it and will say I'm cautiously optimistic that Oahu will be a good fit for us. I'll be sure to come back and update after we've hit our stride and have a better sense of how things will feel long-term. I appreciate you wishing us luck with the move.
Those "studies" are always useless. 49 hours/year average for Oahu? That's only 8 mins a day. People that live in Ewa Beach spend 49 hours a MONTH in traffic. Unless you live right inside the urban core and work inside the urban core, I can't imagine anyone living here spending only 49 hours a year in traffic. I understand that the studies take the normal commute time (sans traffic) out of the equation to get their final numbers... but still... only 8 mins a day in traffic congestion related delays would be a dream for anyone living here.
Our culture is different here... locals are much less tolerant of mainland people of traffic because we live on a tiny rock. We obviously can't do road trips and long journeys by car. We just know from A to B and the distance is always tiny relative to that on the mainland so we have an expectation of short trips and short trips only. When they take longer we become poignantly annoyed. And suburbanization on the West side is a fairly new phenomena (historically) when compared to suburbanization in most mainland cities. That is, we were late in the game in ruining our city with the brilliantly dumb concept of suburbanization. So traffic has gotten progressively worse in a much smaller time frame. Those peeps on the mainland have had a bit more time to get used to it.
That makes a lot of sense. Suburban sprawl and all its woes is nothing new on the mainland, so we're accustomed to sitting in our cars for ridiculous amounts of time. I can see how it's easy to become annoyed when it takes forever to travel a few miles. Some people suggested Ewa Beach to us but the lure of extra square footage wasn't enough to outweigh the commute.
It does not take 1.5 hours of commuting to get from Kalihi Valley to Kakaako round trip during rush hour. Even on a Friday afternoon. He probably just spent 40 minutes in the store... or he has no idea how to navigate downtown during rush hour. There of course could have been a traffic anomaly (accident on the freeway that snarls surface street traffic too). But to claim that to be normal thing is ridiculous.
Like I said, I had a similar drive myself. And that is all I claimed.
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I've been watching the real estate market in Kailua for about a year, and did actual house hunting trip at the beginning of the year. I concur that you will find very little in the area for your purchase budget. There have been some 2 bedrooms in the older buildings, but not many 3 bedrooms. Well, we looked at a spacious 3 bedroom condo for $650,000, but it was a total gut job.
We ruled out Hawaii Kai early on due to the commute for my wife, but the little I looked it did appear to have more and nicer places available (though I was looking in a slightly higher price range).
You are in a great position. With your husband's job, if Oahu turns out not to be all you dreamed, you can head back to the mainland in a few years. Hopefully on the government's dime.
I've been watching the real estate market in Kailua for about a year, and did actual house hunting trip at the beginning of the year. I concur that you will find very little in the area for your purchase budget. There have been some 2 bedrooms in the older buildings, but not many 3 bedrooms. Well, we looked at a spacious 3 bedroom condo for $650,000, but it was a total gut job.
We ruled out Hawaii Kai early on due to the commute for my wife, but the little I looked it did appear to have more and nicer places available (though I was looking in a slightly higher price range).
You are in a great position. With your husband's job, if Oahu turns out not to be all you dreamed, you can head back to the mainland in a few years. Hopefully on the government's dime.
Thanks for the info! Yes, the move is free both going and coming, which makes everything much easier/cheaper for us.
555 Hahaione to 1001 Bishop : 39 minutes
419 Kailua Rd to same : 32 minutes (or nearly 20% better)
I'd venture to say the commute from Kailua to downtown is better 90% of the time in the mornings rather than Hawaii Kai when UH is in session assuming no major accidents on either route
555 Hahaione to 1001 Bishop : 39 minutes
419 Kailua Rd to same : 32 minutes (or nearly 20% better)
I'd venture to say the commute from Kailua to downtown is better 90% of the time in the mornings rather than Hawaii Kai when UH is in session assuming no major accidents on either route
Thanks, Whtviper1-very helpful info. 32 minutes would be cutting his current time by nearly 50%. I'm still drinking the Hawaii Kai Kool-Aid thanks to his co-workers, but either way the commute time doesn't look as bad as what he's doing now. Any tips on finding good leads on rental properties? I know of CraigsList and local MLS searches. Didn't see a whole lot in the Star Advertiser and can't think of any other places to look.
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Another debate for another forum, I suppose. 
I appreciate you wishing us luck with the move. 
