Possible Relocation to Kauai

My husband also works for the gov. Your husband should get paid a diff amount in Hawaii than he would in Tex. there are cost of living adj.s. just an FYI.

O.K. - I'm a bit dizzy now! What is the amazing opportunity? All I saw were a bunch of reasons not to move....?? Why would anyone uproot their family for no pay increase? Just got into your own home here & you want to lease it to strangers & move for no particular reason.....hmmmm, no wonder you are feeling dizzy! Why don't you find out if they pay for the move back. Why not find out how the housing costs compare to here. You may find out you will pay in the long run just to live there. Most people consider moves either because they have to (military or job), financial opportunity, moving closer to family, education,......??? How many kids do you have, what are their ages, how will this affect them? Good luck.

We moved to Maui 6 years ago. Both DH and I had corporate jobs, the 1-hour commute and a baby girl. We moved out here and my husband started working as a Title Rep for an Escrow and Title Company and I stayed home. It is a definite adjustment, esp. moving from So. Cal, as we did. One note, my husband is asian, and I am a "haole" (or white as the driven snow). After bouncing around a few rentals we settled in a very local neighborhood. The neighbors were all very inviting and warm to us. I think you just have to establish residency and make an effort to get involved in the community and then you won't be a tourist. They may never speak "pidgin" with you - which is the local slang way of talking, but you will probably be invited to their baby luaus and neighborhood celebrations of chinese new year.
Now, I can see how the tourists just don't get the island way of living, but I always talk to them and thank them for coming (after all, it is the tourists who enable us to live here and keep the economy going). It is just really, really slow here.
If you live in southern california, the housing is probably going to be pretty similar in terms of cost, the food cost as well. The food selection, however is really mediocre. Look for fresh, locally grown farmers markets and get a Costco membership. Don't even bother to eat out because it is way too pricey and often disappointing.
Interisland travel used to be a breeze, but it is now almost as expensive as flying to the mainland. Don't count on seeing your friends too often. Also, you are very, very far from everywhere. The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated place on earth. Check the globe.
There may be a small branch of UH on Kauai, but nothing you'd get a degree from.

After living here for 6 years, I can honestly say we will be here for a very long time. We travel every year to see our families on the East Coast, and so far, my folks and my husbands mom have been out to visit us every winter. Our kids are both in private school, and we are building our lives and business here. I hope that my children will choose to go to college and also settle on the mainland or even other countries, because the Hawaiian world view is very small, but time will tell on that one. Many people said that we were crazy to leave the stability of corporate america and fly off to a crazy island like Maui, but you have a pretty low-risk adventure if your husband can secure a job here. I say go for it... It does not have to be the last move that you ever make!! And, your son will probably enjoy surfing as much as snowboarding!!

What sticks out to me, is the fact that you will not be able to cover the mortgage of your current home by leasing it out while youre gone. You are willing to move overseas for the same amount of money, to a place where the cost of living is possibly higher (according to what others said here) and still support a mortgage back home? Guess it depends on how much of your mortgage could you get covered by renters...
This part of your dilemma hits home for me because for the last 3 years we have leased the condo we owned in San Diego. In the mean time we rented in LA (while my husband attended school). Our tenants covered MORE than enough of our mortgage and HOA payment (we got about $500 extra a month from them in fact). We still lost money or barely broke even most of the time, when you factor in the repairs, painting, carpet cleaning, new appliances when they break down, general upkeep of the place and all the little things you become responsible for when you become "landlords". We did not use a property management company because we wanted to save money there, so we had to handle every little call about the toilet being stopped up or whatever (from two hours away in LA, by the way). It was a major hassle, I am not cut out to be a landlord and am so glad that part of our lives is over for us (we just sold the place so we can settle down here and buy something in LA).

Just another perspective I thought I'd throw in there, think about what you would be getting into if you rent your home out while you are overseas. Lots of logistics there, the wear and tear on the place by the time you move back in, the fact you can't even rent it out for a high enough rate to cover your own payments on it... you better hope you get reliable rent-payers who take care of their own little reapirs, keep the place nice, and don't complain much.

ok, big deep breath and sit back and say to yourself "am I really complaining about possibly moving to hawaii for a while". really?

Some great advice and insights from the other mom's responding! I have only been to Kauai as a tourist, and I loved it; but it's a whole different issue about living there. So I don't have any advise on that issue -- do have a suggestion as to schooling: ON-Line. Check out your current school as to what classes they offer on-line or research schools like the University of Phoenix. Big changes like this are always stressful, but if it happens, go with a good attitude and treat it like a grand adventure. It will be an experience you could never duplicate here on the "mainland". Mahalo !

I only was in Kauai for a week, you can drive in a C shape the whole island in a day (hubby and I did) and go through 3-4 different climate types. We visited in Jan and I did not see a place for skiing/snowboarding but were not really looking for it either but we did go up into the mountains and there was not much snow.

It was the off season and not a lot of tourist, but heard from the locals that they get tourist but not like the main island. It is a very small island and in the biggest town/city, which was not that big, did not have any large museums you would find in larger cities BUT had a walmart/similar type place to shop. Lots of hiking opportunities and beaches!

Everyone we talked to was very nice and helpful... but we were just visiting for a week. It is a beautiful island, very relaxing, but it may not suit certain people to live on the island... I would definitely research what they have to offer, that your family does and see if the island has similar opportunities. Start making the pro con list or a comparision list.

Is there any way that you could live on Oahu and he could commute to Kauai? I am not sure on the inter-island rates for flights from Oahu to Kauai, but it's something to consider.
I know NOTHING of Kauai but Honolulu was one of the best places I have ever lived. I made a wealth of friends and didn't find anyone to be hostile. My neighbors were very nice and the people in my neighborhood were super friendly. The only people I avoided were the recent transplants to Hawaii who considered themselves "local". I was determined to never make that gaffe!
U of H's main campus in on Oahu with a campus on the Big Island.
I have never been skiing or snowboarding on the Big Island but it IS an option.

I hope it works out for you. Just thinking about Hawaii makes me miss all my favorite places.......especially since I am looking out the window at a blizzard!

My family moved from San Diego to Oahu 4 yrs ago in support of my career advancement. To be honest, there's good news to report and some bad. In concept, the thought of being cauc. in HI is very intimidating. We became part of the minority population for the 1st time in our lives. I have a new appreciation for that concept, and so do/will my kids, which is a good thing.

But I have found it tough to make friends. The ohanas here are very far reaching, so the locals already have a wide circle of friends and family.
We were fortunate that a few families made a real effort to bring us in, and for that, I'm most thankful.

You mentioned home schooling, which is something I know little about. But I can say that the public school experience here can be terrible. There are only a few "blue ribbon" schools, I don't think any of them on are Kauai.

I've only been to Kauai once and I found shopping to be very limited. I'm a shopper though and consider it entertainment. That's not an option in Kauai. And Kauai seems terribly expensive for groceries and such.

We've been in HI for almost 4 yrs and I can say that I love it here. We may stay forver. The weather is amazing and the local traditions are family focused. Best of luck to you.

Aloha! I am a Dir of Human Resources on the Island of Kauai and happy to help where I can. I will email you directly. db

Hi R.,
Our family LOVES Kauai, but we've only gone there on vacation....so a 7-10 day trip in paradise is much different than living there 24/7. A few things I've noticed, as mentioned by others, is the high cost of food. When we were there, we did all of our food shopping at Costco (in Lihue) and then some at Walmart. We stayed in Poipu, which is the south side of the island and that had the most sunny weather. If it was raining in Princeville or Lihue, it was still sunny in Poipu.....I have a childhood friend who lives in Oahu and while many of us are envious of her, she did say, living in paradise came with a price......from hot/humid weather to flying cockroaches and other vermin.....I will agree with others that Kauai is very beautiful, but lacks in entertainment options....if you are into the laidback lifestyle, beach/water sports, hiking, maybe you'll enjoy it, but it's a small island. It does not offer the same options as some of the bigger islands....
Reading about your fixer upper house and potentially not being able to cover the mortgage worries me.....the economy is tough enough without having to worry about going into debt or the hassle of being a landlord from such a far distance away. Those are some very valid and serious concerns.

You say the same money. Do you realize how much more expensive everything is there? We were there last year - insanely more expensive - food, gas, everything!

And, you'll probably want to travel back to the states to visit - how much will that cost?

And, you can't lease the current house for enough to cover the mtg.

Financially, it doesn't sound good.

Heaven on earth! My husband and I were married on Kauai, and we talk about moving there all the time. It is absolutely gorgeous and very laid back. The beauty is never-ending, and there is a lot to do outside.

I can't help you with the university part, but I can make a suggestion so that you can get a feel for it. I subscribe via email to the local newspaper, "The Garden Island". I receive the headlines by email every day, and most often I read the editors to the letter. Reading them, I learn a lot about the issues that face the residents there. Since it is such a touristy place, it is difficult to get a feel for what it would really be like to live there without seeking out other sources. There is some localism, and as I understand it, it takes a while to fit in with the locals. They are used to a bit of vagrancy, people moving there and then leaving after a year or two. Sometimes they need to see that you are committed to the community and the culture, and that you are going to stay a while, that you're vested. You need to show that you respect the spirit and the land, and especially the native Hawaiians. There is a lot of bitterness and resentment towards the rich haoles that are buying up their land. Since you will be renting, and you're in the military, I would think that most of that would not be directed towards you. Truthfully (I'm trying not to sugar coat this), you will probably need to prepare yourselves for a "testing period", in which the locals will have you under a microscope in order to scrutinize your character. There are a lot of really nice people there too. I would think you would have an immediate support network with the other military families.

I can also recommend a few blogs (though a couple are rather activist/political in nature--but I like that). Let me list them:

Here's a creative writing site on Kauai:

http://www.kauaibackstory.com/

Here's a site called "Island Breath" that has a motherlode of information if you click around. Be sure to click on Local Sites in the left margin:

http://www.islandbreath.org/

A community site, Kauai Style:

http://www.kauaistyle.com/

I'm reading this book right now about a woman who moved to Kauai from Philadelphia to work at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. It is a good read and might get you excited about going there. It's called Waking Up In Eden:

http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Eden-Impassioned-Imperile...

An interesting semi-political blog that seems to stem from thoughts of a woman when she's out walking her dog in Kilauea every morning:

http://kauaieclectic.blogspot.com/

You should listen live to the Kauai Community Radio Station. It will give you a sense of the place and the hot topics:

http://www.kkcr.org/

There is absolutely no snow there! As for interisland travel, I think it costs around $120.00 or so to travel round trip to Honolulu. I think local residents get some sort of a discount. You need to travel by plane. They were pushing for a "Superferry" to go back and forth, but many of the residents were very against it, even going so far as to swim out in the water to stop it from arriving. I think the whole thing fell through, but they still might be working on it in some form.

The North Shore is the most beautiful in my opinion (Hanalei), and a lot of transplants move to Princeville, but the locals call it "Haoleville", so I'm not sure it's the best place to move. A nice place on the North Shore to live would be Kilauea, and I know there are some homeschooling moms there (plus there's the best bakery in the world there too :-) A lot of people also live in the hills above Kapaa or in Lihue. I'm sorry I'm rambling, but you might say Kauai is a very large hobby of mine, so I could actually tell you a lot more, but in the interest of brevity I will leave it at what I've said. I can only say good luck to you. I hope you make it everything you dream of and more. I am so jealous!

Hi R.,

A couple friends of mine have just returned from the islands, they lived there for 9 mo.s.

Per their experience .. things are EXPENSIVE, it's beautiful, it gets old after awhile - you ARE on an island, a pretty small island, locals are friendly once they see you're there for awhile, not some dingy tourist, it's BEAUTIFUL.

I'm a DoD employee, and they SHOULD be paying some sort of housing allowance .. make sure of that before he accepts, because as I did say before, it is EXPENSIVE to live there.

Hey, I'm going to Sicily .. Husband is military .. we're both getting ready for some wonderful adventures!!!

Luck to you!

Aloha! Kauai is a beautiful island, north of Oahu. There is no snow there. The only place that has snow in the state of HI is the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island. Kauai is a laid-back place, where there are many locals who would welcome anyone, as long as you respect the people and the land. The "touristy" areas are more developed, but most of the island is very "country" with no fences between properties and chickens roaming the streets. Kauai has a community college, as the four main islands do, but not a large university. The main University of Hawaii is on Oahu, with its Hilo campus on the Big Island. Interisland travel from Kauai to Oahu varies, right now it's around $80 one way. Like you said, this is a great opportunity for you. However, living in the islands can be expensive. If you can make it work, I think you will enjoy your experience here.
Good luck to you and your family!

Hey, R.: Kauai is a wonderful island, in fact, my favorite. I've visited it multiple times during the past 7 or 8 years and also looked at moving there.
I also applied for a job there last year but didn't get it.

The people there are very friendly, possibly because there aren't as many tourists on the part of the island where I was--Poipu Beach. Where are you going to be located?

I also have a friend from 8th grade (!) who has lived there many years, raised her children there, etc. and loves it. I know there's a lot of development on the other side of the island, so perhaps things are different there.

I think it could be a great opportunity for you and your family to live in a very fun, relaxed environment for however long you stay.

I'm not sure where the other colleges are, other than UoH, so hopefully someone else knows that.

Also, if you do go & want to lease your home, look at my Web site, www.thedealfairy.com because we help people get their house ready to sell or lease. Or call & I can give you some help.

Good luck and stay in touch--I'm jealous!
D.

Kauai is beautiful and quiet. I am a transplanted California girl who has been living in Hawaii for almost two years now, Half the time on Oahu and the other half on the Big Island.

The main thing I noticed about locals vs tourists/transplants is that locals usually only get annoyed with those who are new or visiting when they don't respect the land. Supporting local businesses is the way to go and get involved in the community!

Everyone else gave you a lot of useful information so I won't be redundant. Good luck with everything.

btw, you can take TONS of classes via video chat or online to finish your degree.

Hi R.,

Honestly... knowing your personality, just via MamaSource etc., and this one... I don't know that you will be stimulated in a positive way, on Kauai.
Yes it is a lovely island... but it is not a main island... and not much to do there... and no world class museums/zoos/universities/art schools/Doctors/Hospitals/shopping/luxuries/resources/, etc. It is not like Oahu. But they have natural outdoorsy type things... off the beaten trail stuff.
And the State of Hawaii is having major budget problems, lack of money etc.

Next, I would make sure that your Hubby will STILL have his job, if/when he gets asked back to the mainland. Would it be at the same level of job? How long would his stint/contract be for? Can he change his mind once he comes here? Did he get offered this job, or did he apply for it? Would it be a jump on his resume and a good thing on his resume? Or is he being sent to Siberia in terms of his career? Is this something that your Hubby wants? Or he is just going through the hoops out of curiosity and just to check it out?

I am a local, born in Hawaii. I, personally would NOT want to move to Kauai. Not anything against them or the island... nor the people. BUT... it is just not my cup of tea. I have visited there and had a great time... but I would not want to live there. I would get bored. Simple as that.

Sometimes, they do not like outsiders/military... but depending on where you are. There is a strong local culture there...and a tourist culture. You would need to know the areas... lest get in hostile irritations with locals. You mentioned that in ALL your travels, and I surmise that you are a very well traveled person and very culturally aware.... that Hawaii was the one place you felt most UN-welcomed. Well, yes, that can happen here... because the "majority" population is made up of "minority" groups. If you know what I mean. So the cultural viewpoints and acculturation process... is a bit reversed.

Each Island, has its own "culture." So, your friend's family, being on Oahu... well unless they have ties to Kauai or friends/family there... then being on Oahu, a different Island... may or may not help. But maybe with networking...?

Your son, also loves the snow and you are midstream in your studies... and seem to have a great life in your present city. You seem to thrive there. That is great. The only Island with "snow"... is the Big Island- Hawaii, on top of Mauna Kea.

Some people get "rock fever" in Hawaii, no matter what island, because you can't do driving treks to other states. You have to catch a plane... and it is several hours to the mainland.

Yes, the UofH is on the Big Island too (but that is not it's main campus)... and the UH has campuses on other islands... but not a main campus. The Main campus is on Oahu. I don't even know if Kauai has a University campus. Brick and mortar. Each campus specializes in various areas of studies. So... Kauai... I don't know if they will have the educational resources which you need and would find suitable.

Housing... well rents here in Hawaii are high. Or low... but in a perhaps undesired area. Like any city. But Kauai is not really a "city"..... but a small town.

I may seem to be dissuading you from moving to Kauai and your Hubby's job opp. But.. well, I don't know if you'd be happy here. Honestly. It may be a nice lower-key life and a sort of respite... and quieter and what not. But... it would not have the resources you are used to, in your present city. But then again, some people like the slower-paced, lower keyed life here. Some celebrities have vacation homes on Kauai.

Then there is the "office culture" here. Which would be different. But since he'd be with DoD... then that would probably be consistent, here. But the "office culture" and dress and lingo, might be different. We are a lot more casual here. No suit and tie sort of work dress.

Then the "pace" of life there is different.... not as high-key or Type A. But more kick-back. Hawaiian style.

And as for schools... well, I don't know of any private ones on Kauai. But there is public. Depending on the area, which might or might not be good public schools. But you home-school your son?

Anyway, if it is a clear choice for your Husband to take or reject the job offer... then there is not much pressure... and you won't "have to" make the Kauai stint. But, if Hubby is sort of obligated to take the job... well, then, it will be a different life. Meaning, a "country life"... aka "Green Acres" tv show of yesteryear. Ha, ha. No, not that bad. Kauai is a nice island and they even have spectacular canyons and hiking and fields of "homegrown" you know what, herbs. Nice nature vistas and scenery.

It may be an opportunity... but a quite different one. But hopefully an opportunity which RAISES the bar, for your Hubby's career and yours and your lives?
To me, that is KEY as well.

Do your Google searching about Kauai, too.

All the best, let me know if you have other questions,
Susan

I moved to Kauai from Oahu (where I was raised) about 5-6 years ago and we love it here. It has a much more laid-back and relaxed atmosphere than Oahu or "the big city" of Honolulu.

There is a Kauai Community College, which is part of the University of Hawaii system. I know they offer classes online and 4 year degrees.

It's kind of a rural community, but everyone is generally very friendly. We find that the tourists are pretty mixed in with the locals. Travelers to Kauai tend to be more seasoned (they've already done the other islands), so I don't think they are as obnoxious.

We've got some of the major big box retailers like Costco, Walmart, Kmart, and Macy's.

Interisland travel is by plane, about $58 each way, there are no discounts for locals as someone mentioned.

Sometimes there's snow on top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, there are no ski lifts or anything so I don't know if it's possible to snowboard up there.

I totally recommend that you come out your husband when he comes for interviews to check the island out. It'll give you a better sense of what you'll be considering.

just a thought... if the money is the SAME and you have to pay for living quarters you will be completely broke. the standard of living food/home is WAY more expensive than any place else. just keep in mind.
we've traveled to kauai about 5 or 6 times and its my fav island, slower, ... less crowded. i believe its a law they can't have buildings taller than the palm trees. I'd live there in my dreams depending on your personality : )

A great book to research with: "So You Want to Live in Hawaii."
Kauai is a completely different type of lifestyle compared to Oahu. It's like comparing downtown Los Angeles to Santa Barbara.
Snowboarding is only on the big island. But there's surfing in warm waves.
Cost of living is higher on the islands than the states.
Oahu has BYU and UH. Check to see if they have something on Kauai.
Take a chance, life's an adventure. Good Luck.