Colorado VS. Hawaii (island, good, time)

[suzco]

Originally Posted by SheridanL

Treedonkey is spot on!!!
One other thing (about Colorado).
If you really hate moths......we have a moth season here (at least in Canon City 38 miles SW of COS). It is a migratory path they take going towards the mountains (moon actually).
It can get very ..Alfred Hithcock like at times!!!! I do mean tons of them!!!
Just a thought.

Originally Posted by treedonkey

That must be pretty region-specific though, because I have yet to see moth one... In the summertime we do get a lot of flies buzzing around the living room window which faces the afternoon sun.

All about the Miller Moths in Colorado:

Miller Moths

[Kibbiekat]

for a temporary place to be stationed, I'd pick HI. For a permanent place to raise my kids, Colorado (not really the Springs, tho). I guess that's why I'm here!

[SheridanL]

I guess maybe they are region specific. I really don't know. I never had this problem growing up in Denver OR living in Aurora.
This is very very common in Canon City (so I assumed it would be in COS too).
Every year,...you can go to any stoplight or parking lot, (Walmart) and, be swooped by birds trying to get the moths. I do mean, attacked!!!
One year,....we had sooo many moths, my DH and I were thinking of calling the news stations or local paper, and have them do a story on our problem! It was UNREAL!! We were herding them out of one of our living rooms with a flashlight!!! We still, somehow, find dead ones that come up thru furnace vents when we fire it up in the winter!!
Even our Fedex and UPS guys were freaked out (during the day!!!!!!!!)
We finally figured out why we had more than usual. The year before, we had put down a mulch from our local lawn and garden store. I mean everywhere on our 2 acres!!!!! They obviously had the eggs in them and, hatched the following year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SHEESH!!! It was SPOOKY!!!
It was so bad, my mother wouldn't even come to visit!!!HMMMM....
Back on topic...sorry....move to Colorado Springs. JMO!!

[HibbityDibbity]

Funny -- I've lived in Hawaii for the last 2.5 years (coming from WA state) and have recently been stalking the CO forums as a place of interest.

Honolulu is a "big city", just like any other city. Lots to do, but with the negatives that have previously been mentioned to go along with it. It's easy for me, working full time, to get lost in the fact that I live in a place considered "paradise".

One thing to think about is if you are comfortable living on an island. Having to fly at least 5 hours to see family/friends. No "road trips". There's a big difference between being able to drive between COS, Denver, the mountains, out of state (!), and driving from the South to North shores of an island within 45 minutes.

As far as bugs, I haven't found it much of an issue at all. Haven't seen much more than cockroaches in the city. Depending on where you live you can keep those away by getting sprayed for them/keeping up with kitchen cleanliness.

Do you have any more specific questions we could help you with? I can say what is great, what sucks, what I enjoy or what I miss, but it all comes down to what you value, not me.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by HibbityDibbity

One thing to think about is if you are comfortable living on an island. Having to fly at least 5 hours to see family/friends. No "road trips". There's a big difference between being able to drive between COS, Denver, the mountains, out of state (!), and driving from the South to North shores of an island within 45 minutes.

Ironically, there is an "interstate" highway on Oahu....

[HibbityDibbity]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Ironically, there is an "interstate" highway on Oahu....

Three, actually

[Vision67]

I prefer to live in Colorado and visit Hawaii in the Spring. It's a great place to visit to get a break from the Colorado winter, but the cost of living there full time would be way too much for me. However, if somebody else was paying me for it, I suppose I could tolerate it.

[mooselissa17]

WoW! Thanks to everyone that responded to my post!With everything you all have told me and with all of my research, we have come to a decision.......................................... ...I WIN!!! We have both decided that moving to Colorado would be the best choice at this time. I'm super excited to get the ball rolling now that we come to an agreement! Does anyone have any suggestions on what we should plan on doing when we get there??? Any really special spots that we should check out?... good restaurants? Thanks Again!!!

[tammjam]

Join a hula halau or go to the Colorado Aloha Festival...you'll feel like you're back on the islands!!

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by watcher66

I just PCSed from Hawaii and I can tell you out of a three year tour it was about 2 and a half years to long. If you like a change in seasons and a temperature of anything except 85 degrees, go with the Springs. It is expensive to live in Hawaii, 5 bucks for a gallon of milk... at the commissary. There is nowhere really to drive so if you are a homebody then it is ok. The beach is nice, as is the scuba diving and snorkeling. The hiking is decent but nothing compared to Colorado. Theft is a HUGE problem on Oahu, my car was broken into twice in one year. In the end its up to you and your husband, but I disliked being in Hawaii. Thats why I am in the Springs now...

I've vacationed in Hawaii, and I've also had a couple of education colleagues (a teacher and an administrator) who lived there for quite a long time.

We all feel much as "watcher" does. I remember renting a car and running out of places to go after just 2 days. Being on an island really limits your horizons. I felt, and my friends felt penned in, and while you can fly from island to island pretty cheaply, there's still the problem of getting around once you get to one of the other islands.

A second thing to consider is the cost of living in Hawaii. I found things horribly expensive, as did my friends who lived there. I had gone for a school administration interview and they said, "Well, when you hear our pay scale, you won't come." And they were right...very poorly paid, at least for teachers.

And finally, if you have kids who would go to Hawaii's public school system...their school system has a terrible reputation. And I do mean terrible...even among school personnel. Something that is worth looking into.

Having said all that, and as a retiree who just spent a year living in Thailand and is now moving to the Springs, if I had a chance to live in Hawaii for just one year...I'd take it. Just for the experience. and don't worry (too much) about tidal waves!