The BIG question-move to hawaii?

I'll be honest, the thought crossed my mind the other day.  Pick up everything and move...

I think you need to learn a lot more about Hawaii before you move here. First off, the Big Island is not very touristy at all. It is huge, by comparison, and very rural through so much of it. Even Hilo which has cruise ships come in is not at all touristy by standard defiitions. The smaller islands of Molokai and Lanai have virtually no economy to support you. Maui and Kauai are beautiful and less touristy than Oahu. Problem with Maui and Kauai is that jobs are somewhat centralized and therefore run into traffic problems. Oahu is probably what you meant by "Big Island". Waikiki is on Oahu and definitely touristy. The rest of Oahu is completely different and so much more mellow and beautiful.

It is tough to get a job on all the islands. The trade off for living here is that jobs pay less and you often have to settle for what you normally wouldn't do, but you are living in a ridicuously beautiful place. Oahu has Honolulu which is a "city" so it has your best chance of getting a job.

So I recommend extended visits where you come to see what life is like. Go into super markets, hang out at parks where you would be bringing your kids, visit the schools in areas that you could afford. You have to look at it different than a tourist, you have to feel what life will be like. It is not for everyone. People move here everyday and people move away everyday.

I am pretty sure a qualified teacher can get a job. The school systems are not doing all that great. We are not comfortable with the public school district we live in, so we use private schools. There are better public schools, we just didn't move to that district.

Go to the library and check out as many books as you can about moving here and pay attention to what they are saying. Hawaii is awesome, but difficult. It is not like anywhere else I have been.

Good luck, you can always PM me any specific questions you have.

thanks Big,
that is precisely the info i was starting to look for.
As we continue to start our digging, i may hit u up with a PM, i appreciate it!

This is my second time moving to Hawai'i. I am in the military and I fought to come back here. I'm finishing my current tour here and I am fighting to stay here for another. So as you can probably guess, I am an advocate for life in Hawai'i. The weather is great and the islands are beautiful. I have two children (ages 4 and 8) so I know the angst and concern about the schools here. Our 8 year old has been in two different public schools here and we've been pretty darn lucky and have ben very happy with the education she has been getting. The administration is not always the best and the PTO's have been so-so, but the teachers so far have been great. Our daughter is happy and really appears to be thriving. With that being said, not all of the schools are that way unfortunately. There are a lot of bad apples here due to the lack of funding. Many schools are without A/C in the classrooms and many are using old textbooks. You need to do your homework to look into the school's performance. I do recomend you look for sites that evaluate the schools based upon academic performance and shy away from the sites that are strictly parent opinion driven sites. We found that many of the opinions by parents were a bunch of hogwash by people who weren;t really involved in their child's education and expected the schools to do all of the work for them. I will say tough that my wife and I do plan to shift to private school when our oldest hits 6th or 7th grade.
As to employment, I have to agree with the other postings. O'ahu probably has your best opportunity and variety for employment. There just aren't the professional businesses established on the other islands. O'ahu's obvious downside is that it is the most populous of the islands and is the tourist hub for the state. My wife and I have often discussed Maui since it is growing and there is probably more future potential there. My favorite get away island is the "Big Island" of Hawai'i. It is just gorgeous there and it is not crowded at all.
In any case, be prepared for sticker shock. While the rest of the country has taken major hits on housing prices, Hawai'i has not taken it as hard. Yes the prices have dropped, but no where near the magnitude many of the other parts of the country has. One thing that always shocks me in day-to-day life is the price of milk. Expect to pay $6.50 or more for a gallon of milk!
Anyway, please feel free to ask me for any specific info. I think the other advice passed is a good idea too. Come visit and don't stay in Waikiki. Find a hotel elsewhere on the island and see what the place is really like. You won't see reality in Waikiki or its immediately surrounding areas.

Born and raised in Hilo. If you want "non-overdeveloped" the big island is where you belong. Lot's of country, much unlike the ironman highlight videos depict it. 

to the OP, I moved to Oahu about 10 years ago....somewhat by a fluke, but I had been visiting Hawaii (various islands) for a number of years prior. However I had little insight to actually living here. Many friends have come and gone, and for some reason I am still here. I guess I can say it fits me.

Strangely I moved to Oahu, which wasn't my intention nor desire, but in hindsight was the best choice.  Originally I was interested in Maui, since I was into windsurfing.  My friend lived on Oahu and sort of sponsored my early days to get me started. I basically stayed on Oahu and learned to enjoy it.  Each island has it's own personality, and that is important to feel out.

Living in Hawaii is definitely different than being here on vacation. Even though you are in a great environment, reality strikes at some point, because cost of living is high, wages are low. People generally make do with less, and less fancy than mainland. Somewhat humbling at times, which is good medicine really.  Living on an island is also sometimes frustrating and it does get old. We call it "rock fever"...so trips to the mainland help with that.

The busy ways of the mainland get tossed out in Hawaii, life is slower here, and people don't rush as much. There is an island personality that conforms most. Some might call it Aloha spirit, but that is very diluted these days, although it is always important to try to be Aloha.

Some of the other posts highlight things that are important to know, and certainly is recommended to make a few trips out here, explore the islands and kinda get a feel for it. It's different, not all in good ways.  But if it is for you, it can be a great way of life.

A few notes about Oahu and triathlons. Since you are posting on BT, I assume you are into Tri's. Oahu has quite a few smaller triathlons and a good race community. Big Island is obviously the place where it all happens in terms of IM and HIM races. Training on Oahu is ok until it comes to cycling. Frankly it isn't good. Roads are very poor for cyclists and quite dangerous.  However the Big Island is excellent IMHO, I drool for wide shoulders and long stretches of highway to ride. In some ways I wish I lived over on the Big Island, but alas no jobs to speak of.


Good luck in your quest!