Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi, I'm kinda confused. Hawaii is a way different than I thought it was. Looks a way worse than most american (continent) cities. Looks like south america. Why?
How do you recover a city from this situation?
Just guessing, but I'd say a lot of it has to do with extremely high property values vs comparatively low wages. A lot of the houses may be rental property, and the landlords may not be particularly interested in maintaining the property nicely, or they'd like to but can't afford it. I see the same thing in my own town but to a lesser extent.
Hi, I'm kinda confused. Hawaii is a way different than I thought it was. Looks a way worse than most american (continent) cities. Looks like south america. Why?
How do you recover a city from this situation?
I'm from Hawaii. Kalihi is the poorest part of Honolulu, proper, and sometimes considered a slum. There are many extremely beautiful parts of city as well. Those photos are like saying Spanish Harlem is representative of housing stock in Manhattan.
However, average housing stock in Honolulu is poor compared to the rest of the country. Part of it is climate. There's no frost and few houses need air conditioning. Without insulation, many houses are single-wall construction. They look at lot shabbier than they are. Land is scarce and lots are very small.
Real estate is expensive, comparable to New York or San Francisco, and very difficult for the middle class to afford. You get much more for your money on the mainland.
To put this in perspective, my family is quite well-off. My father designed a house for us in the late 70s. It has double-wall construction on a half-acre lot with five bedrooms and four garages. It also had a large in-ground pool, hot-tub and even a fireplace (more out of whim than necessity).
Growing up, my friends thought it an impossibly grand mansion, and, by Hawaiian standards, it is. It’s nice enough, but would be quite ordinary in Texas or southern California.
Looks a way worse than most american (continent) cities.
How exactly are they "worse" as you put it? Just because they're not sprawling concrete jungles doesnt mean they're worse, just different. Have only been to Hilo and Kona and I thought both were quite charming and the fact that the homes and infrastructre blended into the landscape more than most mainland cities was better IMO. More eco friendly, more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly and on and on. There's no way you'll ever convince me that a crowded, dirty, polluted, concrete jungle toilet like L.A. is better than Hilo.
Growing up, my friends thought it an impossibly grand mansion, and, by Hawaiian standards, it is. It’s nice enough, but would be quite ordinary in Texas or southern California.
Why would you need a ginormous house in Hawaii in the first place. If I lived in Hawaii the only time I'd be home would be to get some sleep or cook a quick meal. Otherwise, I'd be out surfing or mountain biking or doing any of the other things that the beautiful natural environment in Hawaii has to offer. Texas sucks. Those houses are huge because the people that live in them have to stay indoors all of the time due to the crappy weather and ugly, barren landscape.
which explains why so many haoles (a/k/a white Anglo mainlanders, who are a minority in Hawaii) head home with their starry notions scattered after a few months.
Hawaii is a beautiful place, but it has its shortcomings the same as everywhere else, and attempts to "fix" them by the local power-brokers, as always, just spread the disillusionment around.
Hawaii is a laid back place, that kind of cultural environment doesn't exactly breed the "cream of the crop" so to speak.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
