I am moving to Oahu in 45 days and having a hard time deciding where to live. Any suggestions?
I can afford $2K/month for rent and utilities, and I will be working in downtown Honolulu, south of punchbowl. I've stayed in Waimanalo and Waikiki on past trips, but never really ventured west of pearl harbor with the exception of Ko 'Olina. Trying to decide on a neighborhood to rent in and whether to do a condo, apartment or house. Any input would be great.
Honolulu - 3 Answers
People's Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
You probably couldn't find much in single family houses in the $2K/month range, especially if that includes utilities. If it were me, I would look in Makiki, Manoa, Kaimuki, or Kapahulu. All are reasonably close to where you will be working & should be safe neighborhoods.
Answer 2 :
Shes right. And Im just going to be upfront with you, if you are just moving from the mainland, you dont want to live west of Honolulu. You arent going to feel very welcome, and you will probably want to hang yourself within about 2 months because of the traffic that the commute would force you to endure. Do yourself a favor. If you are working in downtown Honolulu, try to find a place in town. To me personally, life in Honolulu isnt really Hawaii...if you are on your own, and have 2k to spend, you might get lucky and find an apartment or even better an ohana house (cottage) more east. Kahala, Hawaii Kai etc. Its much much nicer, the commute going east isnt nearly as bad, and after a busy day in Htown, you at least get to go home to a feeling of island life.
Answer 3 :
This is my standard answer that I give. There are good things about living in Hawaii and there are some not so good thing about living in in Hawaii. Living here is not a 24/7 vacation there are no grass shacks on the beach. I say this because people come here expecting it. And when they find out the truth they go back to the mainland disappointed and complaining about Hawaii. Oahu is the most populated. There are areas where it really crowded. And other areas where it less crowded. The weather great it does not get bellow 60 degrees. Hawaii is expensive. Ninety percent of everything is shipped in this is the main reason it cost more. Gas prices are in the high three dollar range. Visiting Hawaii is different then living here when you visit you don't pay rent or utilities. Right now our unemployment rate is quite high . If you want to work in tourism it good to know another language. With out an college education you will need to work more than one minimum wage job to survive. Our Public Educational system is lacking. It goes way beyond the Furlough Fridays. Hawaii is just as safe as anywhere else maybe safer. That is not to say Hawaii does not have crime. One of out biggest problems is with illegal drugs .We have everything the mainland has except for a few restaurants and stores. The water that surrounds us does not make much of a difference. No Daylight Savings Time we never move out clock forward or back. We have an excellent bus system on Oahu. If you are willing to take the time then it will cut down on gas costs. You can have car but you might want to take the bus most of the time and use a car only when really needed. Right now gas is in the mid to high three dollar range. I have seen gas at $3.49. Hawaii is one of most culturally diverse place in America. We have several cultures here. Hawaiians being the most obvious. We also have a diverse Asian population; Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese (sp?). All these culture differ. And it is best if you learn the differences. If you love food Hawaii is one of the best places to be. Due to our many cultures we have many different kinds of food. Try them all. Since we have many different cultures in Hawaii there are many set of "rules" all of them slightly different. Make an effort to learn. When you make an effort to learn the the differences then you will be accepted. There is racism in Hawaii, racism is everywhere. Some of the racism is aimed at Whites. Racism at White is not all that common so you will get Whites saying that all Locals and or Hawaiian are racist. That is not true. The Locals and Hawaiians who are racist toward Whites tend to be racist against other cultures. Racism is not right. But it does exist. Not everybody who lives in Hawaii is Hawaiian. To be Hawaiian to must have Hawaiian blood. Or be of Hawaiian ancestry. If you are like me and have lived in Hawaii all their life but have no Hawaiian blood you are considered a Local. We also have a dialect of Pidgin Creole English. Or it is called Pidgin for short. This language was created during the plantation days. We had workers from all over Asia and the Pacific they all spoke different languages and the needed a way to communicate. So a new language grew and was created.There a some who hear Pidgin an the equate it with lack of intelligence. Do not do this! Then there is what can be called "Rock Fever" some people tend to feel trapped because they can't drive anywhere else but Hawaii. There is no way you can drive into another state. If you need to fly home to the Mainland then 1) take more time because you have to fly over an ocean first. 2) Will cost more because you have
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