How bad is living in Waianae? (Honolulu, Waipahu: versus, moving, vacation)

[kaimuki]

Originally Posted by ohhboy

lets put it this way. i doubt many hi residents want to move to waianae. no offense to those who live there.

Hawaii residents? Are you talking about locals, haoles, or both? If I didn't have to work in town, I wouldn't mind living in Waianae. Nice people, good food and beaches.

[ohhboy]

Mr K...

You are probably the exception...................lol.

[kaimuki]

You didn't answer my question.

[Honolulu21]

Originally Posted by kaimuki

If I didn't have to work in town, I wouldn't mind living in Waianae. Nice people, good food and beaches.

I have friends who live in Waianae and the people are friendly. There's ono local grinds at Hannara, good beaches and several fascinating ancient Hawaiian historical sites like Kane'aki and Ku'ilioloa Heiau(s).

http://www.discover-oahu.com/kaneaki-heiau.html

I was surprised to see so many Ho'okupu (gifts) left at Ku'ilioloa Heiau.

[ohhboy]

ill take another angle. Where are 1 the lowest priced homes located on oahu.......................lol.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by ohhboy

Where are 1 the lowest priced homes located on oahu

Anywhere there is a lot of traffic. Home prices are lower in Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Waianae, Mililani, etc.....compared to Windward/East Oahu because of traffic.

It simply isn't a reasonable commute to downtown for most people from Waianae - generally over 90 minutes each way when UH is in session.

[yellowboy06]

The Waianae coast is nice. but let me add in some realism here...

I am from California. Been here for 2 years lived in Waikiki and back in Kalihi Valley, and now Makaha. I can say Makaha and the west sure its nice. But is it really that nice? First of all Hawaii may be 1st world in town and kaneohe but maili and nankuli can be very 3rd world with grafiti and trash littered everywhere. every day when you drive to and from work and sit in traffic with the sun in your face you notice these disgusting things on the right side of farrington. you could just igonore it and view the ocean and some nice mansions. but most of the people live on the right. also a lot of the people here have little trucks that are riced out and drive like maniacs. they also are very annoying and sometimes blast rubbish pop music with no subs. its quite rediculous and it shows the stupidity and drugged out state of some locals. now many are very kind people and have aloha, but there is some that just dont seem to take pride. they dont landscape theyre yard they litter. these things are very irregular for a mainlander. all this trash and horrible roads with houses littered with rubbish. dont get me wrong though there is many nice houses, many in makaha. but the bad outnumber the good here i have to say. i wish the city would put more effert in the west side and rebuild the roads aswell as plants more trees and create more parks along the makua coast. i would also like to mention the lack of roads. all you really have is one highway farington. there is all this land in waianae and makua and makaha but it is all unused. they simply need to build more backroads and open kolekole. driving the same road and having no freedom to cruise the windy roads really gets to me. it is really nice place if you live on the beach in makaha. but the other side well things can get old quick. the beaches get old because you notice the trash. the people get old because you notice the drugs. and lastly the land gets old because well its just too ****ing hot to explore it. my advice is to stay out of waianae coast except for visits and going to beach and unless you live back in makaha or on the beach in makaha dont live here. unless people start to malama the aina i just dont see any progress in this region. it would be best to buy a home in makakilo where its not so depressing. just my 2 cents of living in makaha.

[TX transplant]

You sound like you were raised in a bubble someone just popped for you. May I recommend you look up the definition of "realism"? I live in Waianae and I love it! I'm pretty certain many of you have not been to "3rd world" countries if you think that's what a "3rd world" country looks like. I have, and I can assure you the people living in "3rd world" regions of the planet would be more than happy to live in Waianae.

To be clear, I'm not from here either. I'm from Paris, France, where I was born and raised, so allow me to add a little realism to your "realism".

As a foreigner from some massive uppity city in Europe raised sipping espressos and eating macarons, the Waianae coast is precisely what I expected and wanted when moving here. It is absolutely stunning, raw and has not once been a disappointment thus far. I have amazing neighbors who welcomed us with open arms, have our back and even mow our lawn when we can't. We go to local eateries (not fast food joints) where one can find much diversity, when we don't go shopping at the local farms or farmer's markets, a few of which are organic. The beaches are mostly devoid of tourists, promoting a greater sense of community as we all keep running into each other and get to know each other. The evenings are serene, the sky clear and filled with stars I can enjoy from my hammock while sipping on a local brew as blooming plumerias fill the air (hello allergies but I still love it!). I love hearing the Waianae life around me when it's not the sound of the waves crashing nearby: roosters, fearless little bruisers playing, family gatherings that can put any concert in town to shame, neighbors playing the ukulele on their front porch or singing on a peaceful Sunday morning, and birds chirping. None of this I ever hear in town where I hang out a lot on week nights. And I don't live in one of those million dollar mansions on the water or in some gated community with mostly haoles around. I live in an old plantation home we had to refurbish a bit even as tenants and we're the only other non-Hawaiians in our area. It fits our needs, budget and lifestyle and we are the happiest for it.

My idea of Hawai'i prior to moving here was all of the above, not an Orange County-like area (think Waikele and Kailua-fornia) so I'm very saddened when I read/hear "locals" be so dismissive and unappreciative of what many foreigners consider to be heaven on earth.

What you complain about is baseless, IMO. I work around Ala Moana and the trash is everywhere. Walk around Waikiki at night and the place progressively turns into a landfill by midnight. Oah'u as a whole has a trash problem and great lack of accountability so let's not pretend this is a Leeward issue only. If sitting in traffic on Farrington is all you can notice as you're driving along the coast with a stunning shorebreak before your eyes as the sun rises, then you may just be the problem, not Waianae. And if by "disgusting things" you meant "the homeless", I seriously question you as a human being altogether. Your generalization that different musical taste = "stupidity and drugged out state", for instance, is just plain absurd, Friend.

Your request for more transportation infrastructure reveals your lack of education regarding the area. If anyone living here has to be explained once more why the Waianae Coast isn't experiencing a housing development boom, no one can help you find the beauty within. You want more back roads? Grab your pitchfork, join the locals and take it up with the DoD who has been occupying and poisoning more land than the locals since Hawai'i became a state. Or as you so wisely put it, "start to malama the aina". Less whining, more doing!

I drive everyday the treacherous journey to/from town and you couldn't pay me to live in Makakilo when my own little piece of paradise awaits me and my weekends feel like I am always on vacation, away from the insanity that is Honolulu and its hordes of obnoxious tourists and military personnel. I get the feeling your beef is really with your inability to live amongst the upper-crust but I must urge you to take responsibility and stop deflecting your resentment for your circumstance on the Waianae Coast.
It gets a bad rap as it is, not that I'm complaining since it's keeping everyone else at bay.

[TX transplant]

Originally Posted by ohhboy

Mr K...

You are probably the exception...................lol.

Wrong. Unless the exception means more than one now.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by TX transplant

I live in Waianae and I love it!

I think your passion is refreshing.

I believe everyone could agree Waianae is perfect for some people - and not for others.

Same for most neighborhoods/places around the US.