Honolulu, HI
Honolulu, the cosmopolitan capital city of the island of Oahu, stretches from Pearl Harbor to Makapuu Point and surrounds the world-known Waikiki Beach, visited by millions yearly.
Once a playground for Hawaiian royalty, Waikiki’s calm waters are ideal for surfing and canoeing. With picturesque views of Mount Leahi, Waikiki offers excellent attractions suitable for the entire family, such as the Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Aquarium. Waikiki also offers world-renowned restaurants as well as high-end boutiques and shops. After the stunning Waikiki sunset, the fun continues with incredible nightlife and live music.
With temperatures averaging 85° in the summer and 75° in the wintertime, water activities like paddle boarding, surfing, scuba diving, swimming, canoeing, kite surfing, and boating are enjoyed year-round, ranking Honolulu at the top of the healthiest cities in the United States list. Small wonder that its approximately 900,000 friendly and welcoming residents call Honolulu paradise.
For land lovers, Honolulu provides miles of stunning hiking trails like Manoa Falls. Hugely popular activities like exercise boot camps and outdoor yoga are held on sand beaches of a kaleidoscope of beautiful colors, against a backdrop of lush mountains.
Other attractions in Honolulu include Diamond Head Beach Park, Diamond Head State Monument, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu Museum of Art, Foster Botanical Garden, Chinatown, and Iolani Palace.
While Honolulu does suffer from a high cost of living and traffic congestion second only to Los Angeles, multiple other reasons abound for moving to Honolulu. The air quality is often a three on the quality index, and the city has the highest livability rate in the state due to low crime, plenty of amenities, high graduation rates, a stable housing market, low unemployment, and low divorce rates. Its laid-back nature ranks it the 3rd least stressed city in the U.S. Dress code is “shirt and shorts” casual, whether for business or formal occasions.
The real estate in Honolulu is very diverse. Options range from beach living in Waikiki, luxury homes in Kahala, waterfront places in Hawaii Kai, to new condominiums in Kakaako. And because Oahu is surrounded by water, the views from the high-rise condominiums are just magnificent, especially homes located on any of the hilltops or ranges, like the Hawaii Loa Ridge.
Commute options are plentiful. TheBus is an affordable way, boasting 4,200 stops around the island with 93 routes. Also available are the Waikiki Trolley and Biki Bikes, rental bikes that you can be pick up at one location, then drop off at another. Uber and Lyft are available too.
Honolulu is cherished at a slower pace. For its people, life is not about just work but rather taking the time to relax and appreciate life’s pleasures with friends and families.