Moving to Molokai

General Discussion
1

A small piece about myself, I grew up in Folly Beach South Carolina surfing and after college chased my dreams of surfing a winter in Hawaii. I managed a surf shop in Kihei, Maui where I met and married my wife. She got into Oriental Medical School in Boulder, CO and is graduating today. Of course we are starting a practice back in Hawaii, but the island choice is still up in the air. We are thinking Molokai if they will have us. Any suggestions about which island to go to, or can anyone spare any information on Molokai?

Mahalos

Flowwithstyle

2

Polish up on the Aloha and then check w/ Ambrose who is in touch w/ The Duke.

3

I grew up surfing folly beach too - weird. Anyways, I just got back from my honeymoon traveling around the Hawaiian islands, and we went to Molokai. There is not much besides houses on Molokai. The pace there is extremely slow and laid back. A lot of cars on Molokai had bumper stickers that said “Molokai not for sale, visit only”. We stayed at the Kamalo Plantation Cottage and I would recomend staying there if you want to go visit to check things out…

We thought Maui had the best blend of everything for the most comfortable/fun lifestyle, but Oahu has all the waves (and all the people).

4 
Molokai has the highest unemployment in the state and not much of an economy. I know since one of my room mates was born and raised there and had to leave if he was going to make any money. A lot of the people there work on Maui. You might consider the big island but they have a big drug (ice) problem in some areas, but it's a beautiful island. If you plan on living in Hawaii and are financially well off then buy a house as soon as you can instead of paying somebody else's mortgage payments for them. Aloha, Kokua
5

Thank you all for your input. My wife became a Doctor today and we want start a practice. Helping locals with their well-being and becoming a part of the community is our dream. Molokai seems like they may need health care, thats why we are leaning towards it the most. However, Big Island is a close second for sure. I love Hawaii, the people, the surf, the culture, and the legends. Any island will be fantastic and mahalo again for everyones help.

flowwithstyle

6

Hey man. I cant believe these - a mention of my two homes all at once. :stuck_out_tongue: I remember the good times at Bert’s market in Folly Beach. :smiley:

aloha

Bryan

7

Brother Flow… I’ve only been to Moloka’i once, but Kokua and everyone else is right. Not a whole lot there. Kaunakakai is about the only thing going over there and it’s pretty small. More uncrowded surf. And there’s a lot more local people than haole.

Maui - I have friends that live there and love it. And it’s growing like there’s no tomorrow. Problem is, real estate prices are chasing Oahu’s and none of my friends can afford to buy. Kahului looks just like the mainland to me. Looks like they took a chunk of California and dropped it on Maui. More haoles than local.

Oahu - Ohwhattazoo. Used to take me 15 min to drive to work in the morning, over an hour to get home. And it’s gotten worse. Lot higher concentration of the asian influence - oriental medicine, martial arts, etc. than the outer islands. Balance of people from all over the world. Way too crowded for my tastes.

Big Island - As a resident of the Big Island, I would have to disagree with Kokua that there is any more problem with ice here than any of the other islands. I would imagine that Oahu has both a higher drug and crime rate. I remember when I moved to the Big Island from Oahu I was watching the Oahu tv channels and thinking to myself - “whoa - I used to live there!?”. The Big island is growing too, and in some places faster than others. I used to commute along with untold other amounts of people to the Kona side to go to work. A friend of mine was having problems finding an electrician to work on his house because they were all in Kona and were making way more money there. Hilo is growing too, and is still somewhat affordable, but I think that’s going to change soon. Where I live, one acre lots used to go for 10 or 12K, and are now going for 17-20. Lots of “alternative medicine” here. A friend of mine just graduated from the school in Waimea and will be starting her practice soon. There are 2 accupuncture/chinese medicine clinics that I can think of down Puna side, several in Hilo town, the school in Waimea, and I’m not sure about Kona side. Don’t spend much time there. More local people in Hilo than in Kona. I couldn’t even find a room to rent in a house in Kona for less than $600/month. Not as much surf as the other islands, but lots more open space.

My second choice to the Big Island would be Kauai, but as Kokua and Ambrose and the rest of the boys will tell you - even there it’s getting more crowded and expensive.

Good luck…

8

All my surfing brothers, mahalos for your time, your kind words, and your valuable information. It all helps in our decision. I know where ever we go, it will be full of aloha and what else can you want? We might just go play and visit all the isles to feel the vibe. Big Island Molokai or Kauai, maybe Maui…

Happy day to all of you, thank you ohana.

9

I grew up in Hilo, live in Honolulu, been to Maui, Molokai, Kauai, hear questions like this from time to time. Let me make some suggestions.

Suggestion Number One: don’t quit your day job, you’re gonna need it. That’s assuming you have a day job. Unemployment on Molokai is probably the highest in the state.

Second, it seems to me that there will be a period of slow times when starting any practice and growing it to the point where it will support two of you, much less allow for buying other than basic necessities. Multiply if there are kids involved.

Third, unless you have significant bucks to tide you over - could be for several years - your best chance to build a business has to be where there’s a market. Molokai’s minimal population suggests it’s one of the last places to start a new business.

Fourth, all the above several times over if you’re haole. Molokai, despite it’s nickname “The Friendly Island” is not so any longer. Downright hostile to certain elements.

Fifth, if you’re not familiar with prices in Hawaii for land, living, groceries, school, and so on, (and even if you are!) you better have a damn good backup/fallback plan. The “Pardise Tax”, that is the premium you pay to live in Hawaii, is about 38 percent, on average. On Molokai it’s higher.

But what the heck, lots of smart, well-educated, capable people get frustrated and leave, just another case of rock fever. Come on over. Bring money.

10

A friend just loaned me a book called “So You Want To Move To Hawaii”. I can find out who the author is tonight if you need it. It was very helpful in breaking down the pluses and minuses of each island, and took a wide survey of opinion with case studies of people who made it and examines the reasons others failed.

Even though it was published in 98, I think anybody who is considering the move should review this book first because it sets out realistic expectations.

One of the most interesting points is that the book talks about how Hawaii is about five years behind the rest of the country as far as the economy goes, which makes things more predictable if loss of living-wage jobs, an over-extended military, and huge defecits send the US into a depression.