Looking to Move to the Big Island (from Socal)

[fireandh20]

Re: Looking to Move to the Big Island (from Socal)

Also, on Oahu I found these...

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/roo/

Pretty good deals...I can live with some of these...once again, cheaper than anything i've looked for out here in L.A. (unless you count the boondocks / valley)...If I ended up working in Honolulu (should the Hilton not pan out), which areas are relatively nice and affordable? Bang for your buck?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Looking to Move to the Big Island (from Socal)

Also, on Oahu I found these...

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/roo/

Pretty good deals...I can live with some of these...once again, cheaper than anything i've looked for out here in L.A. (unless you count the boondocks / valley)...If I ended up working in Honolulu (should the Hilton not pan out), which areas are relatively nice and affordable? Bang for your buck?

Nice and affordable? On Oahu that's like an oxymoron. And it depends on what you consider nice.

Nice can mean Tutusue's Makaha area where the sunsets are spectacular and the price of housing is moderate but the drive from town can be miserable during rush hour.

Nice can mean where I lived on Oahu in East Honolulu where traffic is not a problem and is considered one of the safest areas on Oahu to live in but the housing prices are extremely high.

Affordable? Forget East Honolulu unless you go all the way to the eastern tip of Waiamanalo where the sunsets suck but the sunrises rock!

Affordable on the West end or windward side but again you have to deal with the traffic issues. And they are bad.

You can choose to live in Central Oahu where housing prices are moderate to high but crime is even higher.

Choose your poison. If you can afford to travel to and from the neighbor islands then by all means with your laid back attitude, the Big Island is a good choice. The Hilton Waikaloa is a great place to work but remember it's a tourist driven business so there will be it's ups and downs. Plus the traffic in and out of Waiakaloa to Kona or Waimea can be pretty bad as well and it's not because of too many people. If you take any of the two highways that connect Waiakoloa to Kona you'll be on a two-lane strip of asphalt, one going in and the other going out. Now they are beginning to expand the roads to accomodate better traffic management so it should get better in a year or so.

[fireandh20]

Re: Looking to Move to the Big Island (from Socal)

Nice and affordable? On Oahu that's like an oxymoron. And it depends on what you consider nice.

Nice can mean Tutusue's Makaha area where the sunsets are spectacular and the price of housing is moderate but the drive from town can be miserable during rush hour.

Nice can mean where I lived on Oahu in East Honolulu where traffic is not a problem and is considered one of the safest areas on Oahu to live in but the housing prices are extremely high.

Affordable? Forget East Honolulu unless you go all the way to the eastern tip of Waiamanalo where the sunsets suck but the sunrises rock!

Affordable on the West end or windward side but again you have to deal with the traffic issues. And they are bad.

You can choose to live in Central Oahu where housing prices are moderate to high but crime is even higher.

Choose your poison. If you can afford to travel to and from the neighbor islands then by all means with your laid back attitude, the Big Island is a good choice. The Hilton Waikaloa is a great place to work but remember it's a tourist driven business so there will be it's ups and downs. Plus the traffic in and out of Waiakaloa to Kona or Waimea can be pretty bad as well and it's not because of too many people. If you take any of the two highways that connect Waiakoloa to Kona you'll be on a two-lane strip of asphalt, one going in and the other going out. Now they are beginning to expand the roads to accomodate better traffic management so it should get better in a year or so.

Thanks again for your suggestions!

When I said cheap, I meant relative to what's out here in Los Angeles. I shared a 2 bedroom apartment and payed 622 / month while making 320 / week. I suppose it's similar, no?

Traffic-wise...well, I don't know if anything can beat rush hour in LA. I'm willing to deal with that, as I lived in Downtown LA for a year and lived about 25 miles from work. A commute and a half is what THAT was!

Whaddya think?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Looking to Move to the Big Island (from Socal)

The rent prices are comparable to Makiki but it ain't gonna be no shining condo, more likely a three story walk up with limited parking right on the bus lines.

25-mile commute is a bit long for Oahu but standard fare for the Big Island. But travel distances aren't measured in mileage on Oahu, it's by time. Here on the Big Island I live about 25-miles from my work but I get there in half an hour. On Oahu half an hour is what it takes just to get thru town.

[fireandh20]

Re: Looking to Move to the Big Island (from Socal)

The rent prices are comparable to Makiki but it ain't gonna be no shining condo, more likely a three story walk up with limited parking right on the bus lines.

25-mile commute is a bit long for Oahu but standard fare for the Big Island. But travel distances aren't measured in mileage on Oahu, it's by time. Here on the Big Island I live about 25-miles from my work but I get there in half an hour. On Oahu half an hour is what it takes just to get thru town.

Thanks a ton, Craig. I've been monitoring West Hawaii Today's classifieds as well as Monster / Careerbuilder / Honolulu Newspapers for job opportunties and found a few on the BI (though most are on Oahu, of course). Still "in the running" for the Hilton Waikoloa job, and the more I look into rents and transportation, the more it appears to be doable!

I will be ATTEMPTING to set up interviews for next week, during which I will fly out there and check out the BI. I would like to make the most of my time (8-9 days) and not fall into the "tourist trap". I'm looking to LIVE there, after all

How accurate BTW is "Affordable Paradise"? I've been reading reviews and blogs and it seems to be fairly accurate, but only for the BIG ISLAND. Also, is Hilo really "improving and has become a fairly nice town" as the author suggests? Many responses have indicated that Hilo has really improved over the past year or two.

Obviously, should the Hilton job not pan out I may focus my attention to Hilo as that's where a few staffing agencies are. A few other agencies want to meet with me, but they are in Honolulu (although can't be too picky, I'm ready to rock and roll). I dunno...just some stream-of-consciousness babbling...

Also, on konaweb.com....if you click on the transportation link, then go to "driving on the big island" link...look at that picture...is that FOR REAL?! It said that it happened, but cmon...a cockroach thats about 3 feet long that flies? That would be one hell of an encounter!

So...further advice on my trip...if not Waikoloa, is Hilo worth looking into? I would prefer the BI over Oahu, but if the job search takes me to Oahu, then I have to go where I can pay rent!

Thanks!

Kurt

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Looking to Move to the Big Island (from Socal)

Hilo is "improving" for whatever that means. It's definately not the quiet small town as it was 30-something years ago. But it's not as congested as Honolulu. I tell people Hilo is what Honolulu was like 20-years ago, nice.

Rental prices are lower here and unlike Honolulu, for UH students, finding dorms and affordable housing isn't a problem here (Hilo).

The higher paying jobs are definately in West Hawaii but the downside is that housing prices are much higher there as well, compared to Hilo where the job market is limited with wages somewhat lower, but housing prices are better.

I would say find a job where you live on a part time basis that has the possibility of transfer, like Home Depot or WalMart. Work part time where you live for a short while, then when you're ready to move here see if you can transfer to the stores out this way.

That way you'll have a position waiting for you and won't have to start your employment history from scratch again. Use that job for income and benefits until you establish yourself in the job you're gunning for.