Hawaii (Hickam) info

[lloydbraun]

My wife and I are moving to Hickam on Friday, Just wondering if anyone has any last minute tips on housing/jobs. Thanks

[Guest SpyGadget]

I've just recently discovered Craigslist

It has tons of useful info including jobs.

Hope that helps

[Guest dorothy727]

I will be moving to Hickam AFB in Hawaii in the coming months and would like to gather up any information that I can that will help in getting life in order. Really as much as life can be in order

Does anyone have any information about Hickam AFB and Hawaii? One area of which is of importance is the job market; what is the current situation? How hard is it to get a job? Where to do job searches? I am currently looking the in sales/marketing field.

Another area of course is the housing situation. Always fun! If anyone knows of anything about the current real estate market as well as the rental market that would be a great help. Would love to find a nice living situations near or with in 20 minutes from the base.

Any information at all on Hawaii and Hickam would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[The Kayla]

I dont live there, I have a friend who does though. I would say, stay on base.. you will be looking at high rent, and buying a house there.. unless you are rolling in the $$$$..

It is very expensive to live there. There is a 20% increase on prices because they all have to be shipped in.

[Toro]

High prices should be (at least partly) offset by your COLA - Cost of Living Allowance.

[Guest KC]

Lea727,

We just moved from Hawaii, spent three amazing years on Oahu. We just loved it!

I would recommend you go pick up a few books at a bookstore to familiarize yourself with Oahu. I definitely recommend, "So You Want to Live in Hawaii". It gives you a very realistic picture of Hawaii, the good, the bad, and the ugly that you will encounter. You can also start reading the Honolulu Advertiser online. Also, learn how to pronounce the Hawaiian language; it will make finding your way around a lot easier since all the street names are in Hawaiian.

Rent/Own: You will notice many of the houses and apartments do not look good. Things get worn down easier because of the humidity and salty air and the fact that there is no winter to preserve things. The wierdest thing to me is you can see an apartment for rent in the morning and by the afternoon it will be taken. It is unbelievable! Many do not have two parking spaces. Get up early check the Honolulu advertiser online and call ASAP! We had to compete with three other families to get the apartment we wanted. We got all dressed up to go to the open house, it was like going on a first date of something!

The base has many historic buildings from WW2 and it is well taken care of. There are no really good neighborhoods close to the base. Aiea is right next door to the base, some military families live at Crosspoint apartments. I really can't recommend any other apartments right by the base because I never saw anything nice except Crosspoint.

If you are willing to drive, lots of military live in Eva Beach or in Mililani Town. It looks nice, because it has newer homes, more like the mainland, but unfortunately it is part of the urban sprawl on the West end of the island. You will end up in traffic for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours just to get to and from the base. Plus with the direction you're driving, you'll be staring into the sun each way.

If you want to live off base you could try something few people seem to do at Hickam, and I cannot figure out why. Live on the Windward (East) side. It is the most gorgeous area of Oahu. There are two towns, Kailua and Kaneohe that I would recommend. From Kaneohe the drive to Hickam only takes 20-30 minutes as you cruise down the H3, which was specifically built to connect Hickam to the Marine Corp Base in Kaneohe Bay. The weather is cooler, although that can mean more rain too. Kaneohe is overcast A LOT! Warning this is a very local town with some navy and marines.

Kailua is the best town on the island in my opinion. It's a little farther drive, I want to say 30-35 minutes but I never drove straight to Hickam from it. Kailua is gorgeous, has one of the best beaches on Oahu, is sunnier than Kaneohe, and it has more people from the mainland US that live there so you will not feel as much like a minority. It is more expensive, but the military BAH is really good for Hawaii so I don't think it would be a problem.

As for buying a house, warning I am not an expert, but… The market is not very stable. From what we have read it gets really inflated and then just bottoms out. There was a huge crash in the 90's you could probably do some reading on. If you buy I would recommend being prepared to hang onto the house for several years if the timing is not right to sell. I am not an expert on buying homes there, but it seems most decent homes are 500,000 and up depending on the location. Condos are usually 300,000 and up for a decent one.

Jobs: Sales/Marketing I would recommend looking for on base careers. Depending on what your educational background is they do have some career internships that are GS-7,9,11. They pay well with the 25% COLA, which is NOT taxed. www.usajobs.gov is great place to look. Also, travel and tourism is a huge market on Oahu. You could try contacting some of the big resorts on the island, I'm sure they all have marketing jobs.

Good luck with the move!

KC

[Guest C-21 Pilot]

Two other great sites for researching Hickam are DoD SITES as well as AF Crossroads.

You will have to register for both...

Within each, you'll find pretty much the same info that the Family Support Center will give you and a bit more.

[Guest C-21 Pilot]

Taken from the TDY Gouge sheet...possibly some useful info in there for ya'....

***********************************************

Hickam AFB, HI - Break or stay here... you're lucky. If you can get off-base they'll put you up at the Outrigger most likely. We stayed in billeting in the new section which we basically one-bedroom apartments, very nice and close to everything on base. Food-wise: Pacific Beach Hotel resturant (early bird 5-6pm) has a HUGE fish tank/wall filled with sharks and Manta Rays... very cool. The Shorebird has cook your own everything, plan on dropping $20 for dinner. Duke's is a good place to chill on the beach and drink. On base, there is the normal food court but try the Sea Breeze restaurant (drive towards Hickam Harbor). Four days a week there is a all you can eat buffet for $14 which is awesome and the restaurant sits right on the beach at Hickam Harbor. Misc: Free coupon books for most resturants in Honolulu can be found in most hotel lobbies. Outdoor Rec has the best rates on! equipment rentals. For swimming and sunbathing go to Waikiki. Surfing - North shore or Sunset Beach! . Boogie Boarding - Kaneohe Marine Base. AMCC was very helpful and Base Ops wasn't bad. Car rental at the Pax Terminal. Plan on a STAR coming in and SID going out. Hickam is weird because it shares the runway with Honolulu Intl. If you're not ready to go when number one you won't make friends with ATC. Hickam is an uncontrolled ramp so you don't talk to Honolulu ground for engine start you talk to "Hickam Ramp." Read AP remarks or risk getting violated. ~So far no mention of Moose McGillicutty's on Lewers Street (lots of military). The Wave down on Kalakaua Avenue has more people--a younger and more diverse crowd. Both dance clubs had a cover on the weekends. More info for your Hawaii Vacation. ~FYI for the reserve/guard crewdogs. Shorebird gives at least 10% discount (maybe it was 15%-been a while since the last time..) if you show them an employee ID from a major airline. Moose McGillycuddy's...absolutely top notch and makes the per diem REALLY stretch...They do 1/2 price pupus (appetizers) from 1600 to 1900 every day, but they're big enough to make a meal. Good selection of beer and reasonably priced. Ask for "Kim" upstairs...she's a sweetheart and will take of you (not like THAT, you perverts!) Web site: www.moosewaikiki.com. ~If you like massages try "The Massage Specialists" at 1750 Kalakaua Ave. Suite 512. Phone # 941-1068. It's across from the Convention Center. If you want a Lomi Lomi Massage, which is a deep tissue massage, ask for Lei and get one for a hour and a half. It's only $60. My wife has been a massage therapists for over 12 years and is very good, but this was one of the best massages I have ever had. If you have never had a massage before I wouldn't recomend a Lomi Lomi, but if you decide to have one make sure you drink a lot of water afterwards, or you will regret it. Have fun in Hawaii!

Hilo, Hawaii - Naniloa 808-969-3333 was a decent hotel. Landed at Hilo IAP on a Sat. Hilo doesn't have seem to get very many military aircraft, but we got very good service from the airport. The Air Service Hawaii guys were very helpful in getting us everything they could. One word of caution, they don't have airstairs. We were able to fax our 1801 to Hickam from the FBO, and Hickam faxed weather and NOTAMS right to the hotel. We left on a Sun. The USDA inspector called us at the hotel to set up a time to meet. If you leave on a weekend and are heading back to the States, you will have to pay for the inspection. Costs about $180. We gave the inspector the address and phone number to our Finance office and she was happy with that. The hotel was decent. The rooms looked like a standard billeting room (two beds, an old tv, a table with a couple of chairs, and a small refrigerator). It has a small shop in the lobby, a couple restaurants, a pool, and a bar. A better hotel to stay at might be the Hilo Hawaiian (1 808 935-9361), although the room rate may be above the max. We ate their (Hilo Hawaiian) dinner buffet, which was pretty awesome and not too expensive, $27 which includes all you can drink of their draft beer or house wines. Both hotels are very close together and only a few minutes from the airport. We stopped at Ken's House of Pancakes on the way to the airport and had an incredible breakfast. The place was packed and looked like a favorite of the locals. We didn't have much time to explore, however you can tour an active volcano that is about 30 minutes away.

[Guest KC]

lcgsdmama,

The North Shore is full of pot head surf bums. I wouldn't reccommend living up there unless that's your thing. Just kidding, I'm sure there's nice people that live up there and there are some awesome homes and of course it's really fun! Honestly it depends on if you have kids. If you don't the North Shore would be fun, if you do, somewhere like Mililani, Eva, or Kailua would probably suit you better.

The North Shore really isn't that far...but nothing really is that far of a drive, there's just too many cars during traffic. Driving from the closest North Shore community to Hickam, in traffic, I would guess would take 15-30 minutes longer than it would take to drive from Mililani. You have to go South on the H2 which isn't a problem at first, but then you hit Mililani and the traffic issues.

The state government is working on some kind of mass transportation like a light rail, but I don't know if they've even decided on a plan yet so that could be a few years off.

KC

[Guest blacktide9]

For jobs search here:

http://www.hawaiijobsondemand.com/open_search.shtml

For rentals search here:

http://www.rentalsillustrated.com/

If your plan is to live in Hawaii for the rest of your life, than purchasing a home might not be a bad thing, but if you only plan on staying here for a few years, it's not worth it. If you have $500,000 burning a hole in your pocket, right on, buy a house. If you're hoping to find a "sweet" deal, sorry, it's not gonna happen. Everything here is expensive, but... that's the price of paradise.

Hawaii, in general, is the most laid back, easy going place you'll ever live.

[Clayton Bigsby]

Well, excited to say I was hired by the FAA as an ATC, and will be re-locating to the Big Island in a couple months after a brief stay in OKC. I was wondering if anyone has any tips, gouge or suggestions on movers, documentation, car inspections, guns, etc - so far the stickiest points seem to be pets (my fiancee and I have two cats) and guns (I have some of those too). Once again I won't be going to Oahu, but it can't be that different...

Hawaii's a different place to be sure, and daily local life will certainly be different than RONing a couple nights at Hickam or the Outrigger Luana...but I am extremely happy to be leaving the airlines behind for this. My main goals are to study my ass off so as to not get my ass kicked by ATC, and to not piss off the locals in order to not get my ass kicked by them - I hear they like to fight.

The fiancee and I are already on top of the paperwork for the pets, they just had their second rabies booster and microchips implanted, and we have to fire off a blood sample for the quarantine people. The good news is by doing all of this now we can bypass the quarantine process and do either the 5-day program or even a direct airport release...

[sputnik]

Well, excited to say I was hired by the FAA as an ATC, and will be re-locating to the Big Island in a couple months after a brief stay in OKC. I was wondering if anyone has any tips, gouge or suggestions on movers, documentation, car inspections, guns, etc - so far the stickiest points seem to be pets (my fiancee and I have two cats) and guns (I have some of those too). Once again I won't be going to Oahu, but it can't be that different...

...and to not piss off the locals in order to not get my ass kicked by them - I hear they like to fight.

Never had a problem with the locals. Generally speaking, the only people I did know who had problems were loud mouth a-holes, somehow it didn't surprise me they had issues. Do a little research on which beaches you go to, etc, be polite, and you'll do fine. You're not in America, you're in Hawaii, be a good guest and not the ugly American and you'll do fine. My take anyway.

Cars, guns etc are a pain, but it's just something you deal with. Cars aren't much harder than anywhere else, you have to get them inspected (total bs) and registered in the state. Good news is it was kind of cheap when I was there. Guns you have to take and register with the police. It's a huge pain to buy guns there, but registering the ones I had once I got there was easy. Though it did feel odd to walk into the PD with an armload of guns. Check out the state laws before you move, the main thing that sticks in my head was you couldn't own any magazines with greater than 10 round capacity, felony if loaded I think.

And congrats, my family loved it there. Lived on Oahu but visited the Big Island many times, great place. If I lived there long term that's the place I'd want to be (if I could get a job). You going Kona or Hilo? Totally different places, both nice though.

Edited July 21, 2009 by sputnik

[Clayton Bigsby]

Never had a problem with the locals. Generally speaking, the only people I did know who had problems were loud mouth a-holes, somehow it didn't surprise me they had issues. Do a little research on which beaches you go to, etc, be polite, and you'll do fine. You're not in America, you're in Hawaii, be a good guest and not the ugly American and you'll do fine. My take anyway.

Cars, guns etc are a pain, but it's just something you deal with. Cars aren't much harder than anywhere else, you have to get them inspected (total bs) and registered in the state. Good news is it was kind of cheap when I was there. Guns you have to take and register with the police. It's a huge pain to buy guns there, but registering the ones I had once I got there was easy. Though it did feel odd to walk into the PD with an armload of guns. Check out the state laws before you move, the main thing that sticks in my head was you couldn't own any magazines with greater than 10 round capacity, felony if loaded I think.

And congrats, my family loved it there. Lived on Oahu but visited the Big Island many times, great place. If I lived there long term that's the place I'd want to be (if I could get a job). You going Kona or Hilo? Totally different places, both nice though.

Thanks sputnik. I'll be going to Hilo. I had looked into the gun stuff, and basically what I saw was the registration and 10-rd mag limit too, although it appears the actual felony part only applies to handgun mags...from what I can see, my AK and AR are legal, the laws didn't seem to ban anything outright like Cali laws do...still, I'm planning to test the waters with my M9 and shotgun first, leaving the AK and AR in the mainland for now. Besides I need to stock up on 10rd mags, they're hard(er) to find right now and I'd feel stupid carrying guns with no mags into the PD - that's asking for extra attention.

I'm not too sure what to do with vehicles just yet, I have two older cars that both qualify for the cash for clunkers program, gives me 4500 bucks for either of 'em I turn in plus I don't have to pay to ship 'em...but then I HAVE to buy a new car once I get there, and get a new car payment, instead of driving a practical car until it dies.

Moving - how'd you do it, everything arranged through TMO? That doesn't appear to be an option for me, the FAA makes everybody front their first move on their own, you're only eligible for PCS expenses once you're qualified and off probation. Sucks, but it's a better job so I'll take it. Thinking of getting one of those shipping container deals, leave the container in the driveway, load it up, call the company to pick it up and it goes on the boat, repeat for offload. Probably easier/cheaper than a moving company driving from inland to a port, transferring to a container, and vice versa in HI?

a "2" on that "So you want to move to Hawaii" book, I bought it and it's been VERY informative. And Sput I think you're right on the loudmouth DBs being the ones who have problems...

real quick - what actually gets inspected on the car inspections? All I can see from what I've found online is people bitching about window tinting. Hawaii doesn't have a centralized state DMV so it's confusing.

thanks

Edited July 21, 2009 by Clayton Bigsby

[sputnik]

....the gun stuff, and basically what I saw was the registration and 10-rd mag limit too, although it appears the actual felony part only applies to handgun mags...from what I can see, my AK and AR are legal, the laws didn't seem to ban anything outright like Cali laws do...

...but then I HAVE to buy a new car once I get there, and get a new car payment, instead of driving a practical car until it dies.

Moving - how'd you do it, everything arranged through TMO? That doesn't appear to be an option for me, the FAA makes everybody front their first move on their own, you're only eligible for PCS expenses once you're qualified and off probation. Sucks, but it's a better job so I'll take it. Thinking of getting one of those shipping container deals, leave the container in the driveway, load it up, call the company to pick it up and it goes on the boat, repeat for offload. Probably easier/cheaper than a moving company driving from inland to a port, transferring to a container, and vice versa in HI?

real quick - what actually gets inspected on the car inspections? All I can see from what I've found online is people bitching about window tinting. Hawaii doesn't have a centralized state DMV so it's confusing.

thanks

Guns, walked in with two ARs, no one blinked an eye. Funny as HI gets good marks from gun control groups, yet all they seem to do is prohibt hi cap mags and make you register. I didn't bring any mags into police station, I think you might make someone nervous, like you're carrying loaded. Driving, parking, carrying was a pain in the ass (walking through downtown Honolulu with an armload of long guns just seemed weird, but hey, it's the law), but actually doing the paperwork was a non-event.

Cars, not sure about Hilo but it cost a grand to ship from west coast to Oahu when I did it. So moving two cars can add up fast. On the other hand, buying a new car in Hawaii, expect to get raped on price and there's no way out of paying the sales tax. If you want new it might be cheaper to buy on mainland and register there, then ship it and re-register as a previously owned vehicle when you get to Hawaii.

Car inspection is an annoying BS safety inspection. No emissions, they check lights, brakes, tires, obsession with window tinting. Costs 10-15 bucks I think, a little more if you have tinted windows. What's funny about it, you will everyday see lots of big ass trucks in complete obvious violation of all the safety requirements driving down the highway and yet the police don't seem to notice.

I moved with military. Going to/from Hawaii the movers pack everything into wooden crates, about 4x8x8, which they take off in truck, then put in shipping containers which you never see. A lot of guys did DITYs, hire a company to bring a container to your house, then as you say. Might be able to pay some guys to help you. Keep in mind depending where you end up living, there's a lot of very narrow streets, driveways are small, etc. It won't be easy to park a 40' shipping container in front of your house, definately not for long.

It's crap they don't pay you for the move. Keep your reciepts you can write off unreimbursed moves. Hawaii is expensive, to include moving there.

Good luck though, it's a great place.

You in reserves?

[sputnik]

heading this way next week, any thoughts on apartment hunting or what to do when i first get there in general? thanks

Any info I have is way of date, but why let that stop me? For your temp billeting, most of us found VHA a complete mystery. Finance/housing wasn't real great at clearing said mystery up. I finally figured it out when I called the Outrigger and asked for someone to help me with a military move, in about 2 min they completely explained all aspects of VHA and gave me a list of my options. Even if you don't stay with them--and they seem to own half+ the hotels on island--it's worth talking to them for the clear interpretation of military policy that the military can't give you.

As for housing, Hawaii is weird but AHRN was how we found our housing. Was way better than everything else--by a long shot. When I moved you had to visit the housing folks--I think they were at Shafter--before you signed a lease. They had to walk a fine legal line but if you were nice you could usually figure out their body language-interpretation of the leasing company you were dealing with.

Have fun, Hawaii is awesome.

[Emery]

Searched here and online but haven't come up with anything concrete. I am pcs'ing to Hickam this fall. What are the best public elementry and middle schools? Affordable private? Best family neighborhoods? Obviously within a reasonable commute. Not really wanting to stay on base. Sorry if this should be in the Squadron Bar area, feel free to move. Thanks.

[sputnik]

My info is dated, but public schools in Kailua and Mililani were considered decent when I lived there. I've never lived anywhere with that many private schools though, and they ain't cheap. There was a catholic school right outside the base that had a good rep. Knew quite a few folks who sent their kids there and were happy. K-8 I think.

Edited January 20, 2014 by sputnik

[one1]

On base there is Hickam Elementary and Mokulele. Hickam is the best school and it mostly has children living in the officer housing or CMSgt housing. Mokulele isn't that bad but it doesn't have a lot of the same programs as Hickam. Makalapa is a decent elementary school but the district is pretty small in Honolulu so you would be limited where to live. It is really hard to give advice on which school is the best because you can live right outside of a great district and have to send your kid to a crappy school. I lived two blocks away from being able to send my kid to Hickam.

Hawaii public education really sucks. Some of the schools are really bad and the private schools are very expensive and in some cases, competitive to get into. It takes planning and time to get your kids into the better private schools.

The base housing is really nice depending on what neighborhood you live in. Hickam Elementary is considered one of the best public schools on the island and that is a big plus in itself. I would at least look into unless you are dead set on not living on base.

Edited January 20, 2014 by one1

[zach braff]

Bump.  Off to Hickam this summer.  What's the latest?  

We have a no-on-base-unless-forced-to rule and a kid starting kindergarten…  Looking at the Kailua & Kaneohe areas, anyone have experience around there or anywhere else that is cool to live?

zb

[nrodgsxr]

9 hours ago, zach braff said:

Bump.  Off to Hickam this summer.  What's the latest?  

We have a no-on-base-unless-forced-to rule and a kid starting kindergarten…  Looking at the Kailua & Kaneohe areas, anyone have experience around there or anywhere else that is cool to live?

zb

Off base schools don't have the best reputation. If that's a problem for you then you might want to live on base. Many bros made the decision to live on base for the schools alone. I live in Kailua.. love it. Good luck finding a place in kailua though. I only found one decent place and it took me about 5 weeks. Most decent places will rent out the same day they are listed on craigslist.. sometimes sight unseen. Also be prepared to spend all your BAH and more to get want you want. The housing market here is ridiculous. Check craigslist daily when you arrive.

Edited March 23, 2016 by nrodgsxr

[zach braff]

Thanks.  Yeah I'm aware of the challenges on place-finding & schools.  I think we may go private for the kiddo so we're not further limited by getting the place with the right school assignment - then we'll just attack whatever we can find on craigslist as soon as we hit the island.  And I know we won't be saving a ton of money going off base either.  What can you do.

Was seeking more on the lifestyle in the area.  From looking at Kailua and hearing from friends who have lived there, I picture it as laid back, lots of BBQing out back and trips into town for the beaches & coffee & brews…  Is that close?

 

zb

[nrodgsxr]

On 3/23/2016 at 1:33 PM, zach braff said:

Thanks.  Yeah I'm aware of the challenges on place-finding & schools.  I think we may go private for the kiddo so we're not further limited by getting the place with the right school assignment - then we'll just attack whatever we can find on craigslist as soon as we hit the island.  And I know we won't be saving a ton of money going off base either.  What can you do.

Was seeking more on the lifestyle in the area.  From looking at Kailua and hearing from friends who have lived there, I picture it as laid back, lots of BBQing out back and trips into town for the beaches & coffee & brews…  Is that close?

 

zb

That pretty much describes all of Hawaii. It's island life brah. Just make sure you find a place with a decent yard. The windward side is nice because it stays a little bit cooler than the leeward side due to the trade winds.

Also keep traffic in mind. You can take the H3 from Kailua/K-bay which makes for about a 30 min commute to/from Hickam. If you try to live Eva/Kapolei/Hawaii Kai/N. Shore you're looking at an hour+ commute each way. Mililani is central to everything and has much more affordable housing.

[Hopefulflyer389]

Anybody have updated gouge on living in Hawaii? In particular, living there as a traditional guardsman. Can you live on base? Traffic any better? Etc.

Edited January 30, 2018 by Hopefulflyer389

[nrodgsxr]

Probably could live on base since there's lots of openings lately but why would you want to? Call the hickam housing office to check availability.  Traffic is still shitty on H1/H2. Dont expect it to get any better even if they finish the rail

[Termy]

When PCS to Hawaii I understand government will pay to ship one vehicle. Do you have to get that vehicle to a port on a coast or will they pick it up wherever you are? (Middle of country for us)

yes I know I could go tmo and ask this but that would require more patience than I possess.