Thinking about moving to Hawaii..but where? (Honolulu, Hilo: for sale, low crime)

[ConnieandFrank]

Hi,
My familly is considering moving to Hawaii. I'm the kind of worried mom that researches into everything like crime rate, hate crimes etc... I always get discouraged and move on to researching another area. I never thought about Hawaii till now. I took a test on the "Find your Spot" and both Kailua-Kona and Honolulu Hawaii came up. My main intrest is low crime rate. We are from Douglas AZ and my husband and I have 4 kids. Age is from 5 months to 12 years old. I am RN and my husband is a Transportation Supervisor. We are good people and are just looking for a good place to raise our children and find good jobs. We are 100% Hispanics. Is there a problem with racism in Hawaii...against Hispanics? We've been looking at a map but don't know where to start. Do any of you know about the crime rate in Kailua-Kona vs Honolulu? We visit Tucson AZ frequently and the crime rate there is pretty bad. What about the language in Hawaii... any Spanish? My family is Bilingual in English and Spanish...but I was just wondering? Do any of you know if the pay for RN is good there? Another important question....Volcanoes!! How dangerous/threat are they to the people of Hawaii? Is it more dangerous in some of the Islands? What about Tsunamis? What part of Hawaii does Dog Chapman and his family live?. Any assistance in this matter will be gladly appreciated.

[Paniolo Cowgirl]

Hispanics will probably be welcomed with open arms in HI. As they say, "if you're brown, stick around".

The Big Island is the only island with active volcanoes. If you're thinking of living Kona side and are worried about a lava flow overrunning your house, avoid living south of Kona.

Tsunamis are definitely a concern. You're talking to a Hilo girl here. Hilo was hit by tsunamis several times over the last century. Don't live on the beach.

[cynmkolohe]

StarBulletin.com | News | /2006/01/07/

starbulletin.com | News | /2006/12/19/

folder_listing — Attorney General (Crime in Hawaii from hawaii.gov)


These links above will give you a bit of insight into the crime stats for Hawaii.

With aloha,

Cynthia

[IntoTheMystic]

schools

http://arch.k12.hi.us/PDFs/nclb/2007/FinalAYPPubSchList20070829.pdf (broken link)

look for the "in good standing unconditional"

[Genxor]

If your more small town friendly, Kailua-Kona is your place. Still has its own traffic issues- but is of no comparison to Honolulu in any way ,shape, or form.

The Kau, Puna and South Hilo districts are more apt to be effected by lava - generally. The Hawaiian Islands are not low and flat - accept near beaches, so most Tsunami zones are closest to the beach ! Dog lives on Oahu , they have an office in Kona that his son Leland operates.

You really do need to visit before you make a choice, and I recommend several visits.

[ConnieandFrank]

Thank you all so much for all your comments. I'll look into what you all provided. My ideal place would be I guess having a house near a city to where the kids could go to school and later to a University. I would like somewhere close enough where our kids could live at home and drive to the University (not too far) and that they are able to work in what they studied. The problem we face in Az is that we live in a very small town and our kids would have to drive 2 1/2 hours to go to U of A and I hate the part of them being alone up there (a lot of crime). Then they would probably have to move to a big place to practice what they studied. We wouldn't mind leaving in the outskirts of a big city as long as it is safe enough. We are tired of the dry HOT heat!!! We wouldn't mind a little of everything...rain, son, wind, cold(I don't think this last one applies to Hawaii) right? In Honolulu is there an area where there are mountains but still can drive to the beach? What kind of stores are there? Walmart, Kmart? Where do people mostly do their grocery shopping? In me being an RN I don't know if it would be better to live near a big place in order to get better pay to assist with the high cost of living?
Sorry for all the questions.

My husband and I are planning a trip there with our kids but would like to go the place that would sound right to live. Are there any book any of you would recommend that explains a little of every place in Hawaii?
Thank a million!!!
Connie and Frank

[livin_on_a_rock]

Aloha from the Big Island. My family and I moved to HI in July 2007. The book that people suggested I read was "So you want to live in Hawaii?". I promptly went to the book store and purchased it. It has a lot of good information. It was also recommended to us that we visit several times before making the move, but frankly, we couldn't afford 4 plane tickets from PA several times so we did a lot of research and actually hired a realtor to sell our PA home, who grew up on the Big Island and she was able to provide a lot of insight, too. We sold and gave away most of our belongings to move over, thinking that it would be best. We shipped 56 boxes of belongings through the post office, parcel post. It took about 3 weeks for the stuff to get here, which was fine and it was pretty cheap to do so. Hindsight is always 20/20 and to be honest, we probably should have shipped 56 more boxes of our stuff. Unless you come here with a HUGE amount of cash, bring as much of your belongings as you can. You said that you have children. Our children are 13 and 10 (8th and 5th grade). Enrolling them into school was probably our biggest obstacle. My recommendation, get them to their doctor and have a complete physical just prior to moving here and bring the records with you. They will need to have a recent TB screening, too. Stock up on any prescriptions that you need, physicians are in big demand. Of course, keep in mind, all of the advice that I am giving is in regards to the Big Island, Hilo side. As far as prejudice--I have not come into contact with one person yet who has not been friendly. The people here are beautiful-in many ways. We, too are concerned with the danger of lava flows and deciding where to purchase a home, but the way I see it-if you are willing to give up a lot to move to HI then you must be somewhat of a risk-taker already. The Big Island is the only island under threat of volcanic eruption anyhow, so if you are thinking Oahu you're ok where that's concerned. I work for Hawaii Health Systems Corporation at the Hilo Medical Center and, as with most places in the USA, RN's are well compensated. Moving to HI needs to be well-orchestrated. Have a place to live lined up, bring medical records with you, if you have decent vehicles, ship them, bring as much as you can with you and most of all--GOOD LUCK to you.

[ConnieandFrank]

Thanks for the info. I had a question on the comment you made: "The Big Island is the only island under threat of volcanic eruption anyhow, so if you are thinking Oahu you're ok where that's concerned." What concerns do you see/have with Oahu? If you don't mind us asking? Is there a good place in Oahu where you can have horses/donkeys? Here at home we live in 5 acres( land here is prettly decently priced.) and we have 2 donkeys and 1 horse. Is there any place in Oahu were you can have these and still be close for good schools and a short drive to the University? As a parent, I always think of when our kids grow-up that they find good people to marry. I've heard HI has a problem with drugs but we tell ourselves that everywhere else it's the same. How big of a problem that you guys are aware of is there with HIV?
Thanks again.

[Paniolo Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

Thanks for the info. I had a question on the comment you made: "The Big Island is the only island under threat of volcanic eruption anyhow, so if you are thinking Oahu you're ok where that's concerned." What concerns do you see/have with Oahu? If you don't mind us asking? Is there a good place in Oahu where you can have horses/donkeys? Here at home we live in 5 acres( land here is prettly decently priced.) and we have 2 donkeys and 1 horse. Is there any place in Oahu were you can have these and still be close for good schools and a short drive to the University? As a parent, I always think of when our kids grow-up that they find good people to marry. I've heard HI has a problem with drugs but we tell ourselves that everywhere else it's the same. How big of a problem that you guys are aware of is there with HIV?
Thanks again.

Ah if you have horses and such, Waimea or the Hamakua coast would be perfect for you. Lots of good ag land for sale there and prices are very reasonable.

My friend lives in Ninole on 10 acres of land with ocean views. She keeps a horse on her property.

And these parts of the island are under no threat for Volcanic eruptions.

[MsHell]

Whew! That's alot of Q's. I will try to answer what I can, keep in mind - all my replies pertain to Oahu (Honolulu).

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

Is there a problem with racism in Hawaii...against Hispanics? Do any of you know about the crime rate in Kailua-Kona vs Honolulu?

Personally never heard of Hispanics having a problem in Hawaii.There is crime on Oahu, but most of it is property crime (stolen cars/motorcycles and home break-in's).

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

What about the language in Hawaii... any Spanish? My family is Bilingual in English and Spanish...but I was just wondering?

I hear very little Spanish being spoken, however maybe I don't hang with the right crowd. I do know there is a group of South American folks they hang together. I used to work with one guy (half Brazilian) and my co-worker was married to a gal (also Brazilian) and they knew the same people, hung out alot.

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

Do any of you know if the pay for RN is good there?

I don't know numbers, but I believe they get paid well.

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

Another important question....Volcanoes!! How dangerous/threat are they to the people of Hawaii? Is it more dangerous in some of the Islands? What about Tsunamis?

No worry about volcanoes on Oahu. Tsunamis not really a threat either. I think hurricanes are the biggest storm threat for Hawaii.

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

Hi,
What part of Hawaii does Dog Chapman and his family live?.

LOL - funny Q! I think they live in Hawaii Kai or Kahala (East side of Oahu/Honolulu).

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

In Honolulu is there an area where there are mountains but still can drive to the beach?

By mountains, do mean you want to live "in country"? You can drive to the beach from anywhere on Oahu.

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

What kind of stores are there? Walmart, Kmart? Where do people mostly do their grocery shopping?

We have Walmart and Kmart, soon will be adding Target and Walgreens. I believe most people shop at the grocery store (Safeway, Foodland, Times) and Costco/Sam's Club.

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

What concerns do you see/have with Oahu? If you don't mind us asking?

Top concerns: education, public schools are not the best. Cost of housing (sucks, sucks, sucks!). Crime is a concern, but not to the extreme.

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

Is there a good place in Oahu where you can have horses/donkeys? Is there any place in Oahu were you can have these and still be close for good schools and a short drive to the University?

Only place that comes to mind is Waimanalo (Windward side of Oahu). I am pretty sure it's not a good district for public schools. Unless you plan to put your kids in private school? Drive to UH is so-so, it's do-able, but will be a drive.

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

I've heard HI has a problem with drugs but we tell ourselves that everywhere else it's the same. How big of a problem that you guys are aware of is there with HIV?

Hawaii has an ICE problem, but I think it's about the same as any big city. Personally not aware of a big HIV issue on Oahu. I know of 2 people that had it and both were gay.