Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [25]
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Neighbor Islands are considered ‘country’ or even da boonies (the boondocks). In general, Neighbor Islanders tend to dress more casually, speak more pidgin, be more working-class and preserve plantation-era distinctions. Status isn’t a Lexus but a monster truck. Family is important everywhere, but on Neighbor Islands it may be the center of one’s life. When locals first meet, they don’t ask ‘What do you do?’ but ‘Where you wen’ grad?’; like ancient Hawaiians comparing genealogies to find common bonds, locals identify themselves by listing the communities they’re from – extended family, island, town, high school – not their accomplishments. Locals don’t migrate restlessly; they find their place and stay, and they may be complete strangers to other parts of their island. Tourist hot spots create exceptions to these generalizations, but their influence is surprisingly limited.
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LIFESTYLE
Lifestyles differ between Honolulu and the Neighbor Islands just as city and rural lifestyles do anywhere. But even in Honolulu, people generally live more balanced and relaxed lives than in comparable US cities. In Hawaii, local life is relatively simple and often family-oriented. School sports events are packed with eager parents, plus the gamut of aunties and uncles (whether actual relatives or not). Working overtime is the exception, not the rule; weekends are for play and potlucks at the beach. Locals are of course not immune to natural beauty and balmy weather: life is lived outdoors, and golfing, fishing and surfing rule.
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Why is Hawaii the best? Hawaii residents have the longest life expectancy in the US: 81 years, compared with the US average of 78. Doctors credit a clean environment and healthy living.
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By most social indicators, life is good. Hawaii has been ranked the second-healthiest state in the nation, with a low uninsured population. Almost 90% of residents have a high-school degree, and almost 30% have a bachelor’s degree (both above the national average). Rates of violent crime are nearly half what they are on the mainland. In 2007 Hawaii’s median household income ($63,746) ranked fifth, and its poverty rate (8%) was third lowest, among US states.
However, incomes get spent quickly. Utility bills average three times higher than the mainland and grocery bills are exorbitant (since 85% of all food is imported). Honolulu has the third-highest cost of living among US cities (behind New York and San Francisco). Sky-high real-estate prices keep many locals from being able to buy their own home; though it’s fallen recently, the median price of a home on O’ahu was $625,000 in 2008. As one indication of the burden of housing costs, one study found that nearly 50% of renters and homeowners spent 30% or more of their income on housing. On Neighbor Islands, most affordable housing isn’t near the majority of jobs (near resort areas), resulting in long commutes and increasing traffic jams.
Native Hawaiians also have some glaring disparities in their quality of life. They make up a disproportionate number of homeless and impoverished. Native Hawaiian schoolchildren, on average, lag behind state averages in reading and math, and they are much more likely to drop out of school. Hawaiian charter schools were created to address this problem, and they have demonstrated some remarkable success (using alternative, culturally focused methods). However, many Native Hawaiians feel that some form of sovereignty is necessary to give them control over their own circumstances (Click here).
These stresses – along with having to deal with a constant flow of travelers looking for paradise – can sap the aloha of residents. In recent years, there’s a hard-to-quantify feeling that life isn’t as good as it once was, which is partly why the state is so focused on developing a sustainability plan (Click here).
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THE MOST AUTHENTIC LUAU IN HAWAII
Like getting sunburnt and wearing an aloha shirt, attending a commercial luau is something most visitors