Starting here with the intro

[Expatgirl]

Hi, glad I found this thread as I think forums are a great way to get good inside info and thank you for having me.

My goal is to relocate to Hawaii in 2014 but am not sure where. I have only been as a tourist so will come in March and do a little recon trip. So for now looking for suggestions for cities I should check out.

I am currently living in Phuket, Thailand and have for 12 years and have realised it is TIME to "come home". Being that I have been living on an island for all these years Hawaii appeals to me the most. Originally I am from California.

I MISS America. Besides being tired of being a foreigner and so far from family and friends there are things I want in my life now that I am older that I can not get here nor were not so important 12 years ago.

Perhaps if I specify this I can get some suggestions for towns to check out. I do like city and do not want to be to quiet or remote so I am thinking Oahu or Maui.

What I miss sooooo much here is not being able to ride a bicycle. The roads are super scary here and I would not dare to take on the traffic, even by the beach.
So good biking lanes.
Farmers market/ organic produce
Community, community!!
Conservation

Other things I would like would be an older neighbourhood, no track housing,
environmentally conscious, recycling etc, not to many homeless, independent shops and business.

I have some online businesses and do consulting so am flexible.

I am coming by myself and am a young 40 year old. So schools are not a consideration. Being some where safe is but I am also from LA so am not expecting unrealistic.

Thank you for reading this and look forward to being part of this community!

[tutusue]

Welcome to HT Expatgirl. If you haven't done so already, search this site for lots of good info. Of great importance will be your budget. All areas of Hawaii are expensive, some areas much more than others. It will be difficult to offer suggestions without knowing your rental budget. That will help launch this discussion!

[Kaonohi]

Perhaps if I specify this I can get some suggestions for towns to check out. I do like city and do not want to be to quiet or remote so I am thinking Oahu or Maui.(...)

Other things I would like would be an older neighbourhood, no track housing,
environmentally conscious, recycling etc, not to many homeless, independent shops and business.

Sounds like Kahului, Maui.
Oahu is filthy with homeless.

[GregLee]

You might like Kaimuki, which is a Honolulu neighborhood, city-residential, dominated by older single family dwellings. I rented there from 1973-1993, not very near Diamond Head. It was not expensive at that time. The business area around Waialae Avenue was rather seedy and run-down when I lived there, but after I moved away to Waimanalo, there was an effort to spruce it up, and it gained some small modish restaurants and shops. I never noticed homeless people there or had any security problem.

Waimanalo Beach, where I live now, doesn't sound like your cup of tea, since it is rather remote and countrified, and there is not much of a rental market.

[PaddleGirl]

Maybe Oahu has a lot of homeless in town, but on the east side when visiting I only saw the "mayor of Kailua" several times. Not a problem there. I love that sleepy, quiet beach town, yet there are lots of viable businesses around and lots of friendly, out-going people, and of course the beach there is absolutely intoxicating and pristine! I felt so at home there, so that's where we're planning to move this summer! I think as a single woman you would feel safe living there, also there's opportunity for community involvement like clubs (book, cannoe), farmer's markets, some decent restaurants. Love it there!

[shiina]

If you are thinking of doing a lot of bicycling, Maui is NOT the place. Granted, there are bike paths around the island, but it is not a very bike-friendly place. I loved bicycling on Oahu when I lived there for a few years, but when I returned to Maui, my home, and tried to get into bicycling, it was scary and downright dangerous! There are nice stretches of bike lanes along the newer highways, but even that has its scary moments. Drivers can be rude and inconsiderate, and if you should get a flat tire, it could be a very long walk to get help. Oahu, even though it is much more congested, is much easier to get around on a bicycle, and sometimes better than dealing with the bumper to bumper traffic and parking problems. People are also more used to bikers and forgiving in the big city.