If you had a good job offer in Hawaii, would you move there? Why or why not?

[Anonymous]

Hi DCUMers -
Anyone ever live in Hawaii? Would you move there if you got a good job offer? What kind of quality of life could it offer? I am hoping to be in the position where I will need to make this decision soon. I have heard that there is some antagnosim towards non-Hawaiians. Also heard some of the public schools are bad. Thanks for your insight.

[Anonymous]

Of course!! live in a Paradise!!

[Anonymous]

OP here and that is exactly what I was thinking - paradise!! But, I am sure there are some down-sides to HI and that is what I am trying to find out.

[Anonymous]

My friends who have lived here and there say it is expensive. They also complain that Oahu is small, and so they feel a bit stuck. Plus, it's a long haul to get back home and see family

[Anonymous]

can't you move to an area that had good public schools? I'd move there in a heartbeat. Although it's very expensive, as you know. And maybe the tourists would drive you crazy over time.

[Anonymous]

My DH was there for a 1 year assignment on the North Shore. When I visited him, I was ready to home before my 3 weeks was up. I've been there a total of 3 times, and each time, for some reason I do get homesick after one week. But maybe that is just me.

[Anonymous]

If you haven't seen it yet, that might be helpful

http://www.city-data.com/forum/hawaii/

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for the link.

[Anonymous]

Visited Maui and given the strong impression that "people that aren't from there" are not so welcome.

But then, there are miserable people everywhere. Even "paradise", which might not be so to others.

[Anonymous]

DH and I LOVE Hawaii...that said, I don't think either of us could ever live there. We like to just get in the car and drive to new places and unfortunately, with Hawaii, you are a bit limited. Also, I know a couple of people who lived there and they said almost everyone has cockroach problems because of the climate. When we went, we had to trade rental cars because of a cockroach infestation in our car.

I think if it were only for a year, I could do it...but not indefinitely.

[Anonymous]

OP here...thanks for the replies...curious if anyone knows someone who moved to Hawaii, hated it, and moved back to the mainland US?

[Anonymous]

My best friend moved to Hawaii five years ago and loves it. She lives in a beautiful suburb of Honolulu (Kalama Valley) and has a wonderful life. She's very happy there, and we loved it when we visited. For us the issue is that it's just too far from our families on the East Coast.

(My friend doesn't have children so she doesn't have to deal with the school issue, so I can't speak to that. I do know there's an amazing private school -- the one Obama went to when he was younger. Forget the name.)

[Anonymous]

I have three different friends that moved there for work. They all left in under 5 years. All liked it but got tired of it. Bad schools --really bad from what one said. Outsiders not very welcome. Very expensive. Island fever.

[Anonymous]

I've never officially lived there, but used to have a job that would have me out there for 3 and 4wks at a stretch on Oahu. My observations (most of which others have touched on):

1. Everything is very expensive since it all has to be imported. Eg, back in early 2000s, gas was already over $3/gallon. Guessing it's closer to $5 now. Groceries aren't cheap. Rent/Real Estate prices are very high.
2. You can't "get away for the weekend". Even L.A. is a 5 or 6hr flight, so you'd better really like all that the islands have to offer since it's a major effort to get anywhere else.
3. My understanding from talking to military colleagues on the island is that the schools aren't the best (and definitely aren't comparable to what you'd find for the most part in the DC area -- eg Ffx or MoCo schools).
4. Not sure how you feel about tourists here in DC, but Hawaii is crawling with tourists, both American and from Asia.
5. If you have a pet, be very careful to understand the quarantine rules. To avoid rabies, I think they require a fairly strict quarantine period before bringing your dog into the islands.

On the other hand, it's beautiful. You see rainbows daily. No worries about school getting cancelled due to snow!

[Anonymous]

I have heard of two families that have moved there and moved back.