I'm native Hawaiian; my family has lived in Hawaii for hundreds of generations, so that's my perspective in answering this question. As many who have visited Hawaii would agree, it's a gorgeous place, with the bluest skies and greenest mountains that I have ever seen. But people need to know that there are profound problems associated with the Americanization of Hawaii since the mid-19th century. Our home is now the most militarized place in the United States. We have learned over the decades that secret military tests of nerve gases and munitions have taken place in our forests and our communities, and that chemical weapons were dumped in our oceans fifty years ago. Much of the most beautiful - and sacred - areas are military training areas, with entire islands decimated by bombing, unexploded ordnance, uranium poisoning, and toxins and mutagens. It is a travesty, and it continues into the present, as the military attempts to steal more land for increased use. The tourism industry is also foreign-owned, meaning that profits made off of Native Hawaiian land and culture don't stay in Hawaii, but rather flow outward to the global multinational hotel owners, etc. Scholars increasingly refer to the tourism industry as a modern plantation economy, with low-wage labor (predominantly peoples of color) subordinated to the industries' owners, who reap the profits of the hotels and tour company. Finally, the general American public, and the global public, should be aware that the people of Hawaii overwhelmingly opposed the annexation of Hawaii since the 19th century. Hawaii's constitutional government was overthrown by the US miltary in 1893. In 1897, more than 95% of the native Hawaiian population signed petitions opposing annexation. In 1959, the US government pushed through resolutions in the United Nations claiming that Hawaii had been decolonized, but had not offered a full range of options to Hawaiians, including the right to independence. Since the mid-20th century, foreign investment and American militarization have accelerated. However, a resurgence of Native Hawaiian political and cultural awareness in the 1970s has precipitated a renewed struggle for Hawaiian self-determination and demilitarization.

I am native Hawaiian as well and being here is very nice. The seasons don't really change and the people are very nice, but you have to be nice as well. Depending on where you want to live, because there are many islands to live on. Oahu is the most populated (I think) home of the capitol.

I always heard it was rainy. Like Seattle.

i went there last summer. when you're in a resort or on the beach it is paradise, but a lot of the people who live in hawaii (who aren't celebrities or super rich) live in near poverty. a crappy apartment downtown (as in not overlooking a beach or with a pretty view) costs a couple thousand dollars a month to rent.. i drove around the places where the native hawaiians lived and a lot of the houses there were falling apart. and i talked to someone who lived in one of the houses and he said most of the houses that are on the ground (a lot of the houses are on stilts) are infested with termites. so.. i guess hawaii is a paradise for people who go looking for paradise. you'll find gorgeous beaches and god-the fruits are so delicious, but behind all of the glamour, hawaii is like many places- the people there are separated by money and status. .. still it's a nice place, i'd definately recommend it. if you're thinking about going, here's where we stayed, in waikiki http://www.hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/index_flash.asp

To be white or black in Hawaii is to be exposed to constant racism by a fraction of the population who are marginally Hawaiian or pretend to be Hawaiian. Much of this is driven by racial politics and revisionist Hawaiian history, and some is just good old fashioned racism. Many Hawaiians are very kind, others are the worst sort of bigots as are many non-white non-Hawaiians usually termed "Locals." The problem is not that there are more really evil people than nice people. The problem is that unlike most of the mainland, the decent people refuse or are fearful of standing up to the racists when they target whites, because blaming "Haole" is a long tradition in Hawaii. I have lived in Hawaii for twenty-one years, and I have come to understand that it makes no difference how you behave, you will be hated by many and shunned by more. On the other hand, the people in the tourist industry are usually very nice and show tourists a good time. The weather is comfortable if somewhat boring after a while. The surf is great, the fishing so-so. Hawaii has few good paying jobs for professionals because it is very union-driven, and not particularly poised to reward education or work ethic. To give you an idea of the depth of this illness, some 20% of workers in Hawaii work for some branch of government, and the remaining 80% have to pay their salary. That isn't going to change anytime soon, because the 20% constitutes a huge voting block for a state government that is overwhelmingly democrat and fascinated with socialism and regulation of your life. Housing in Hawaii is ghetto-like in quality but Beverly Hills-like in price. Lots are tiny (typically 4500 sf) and houses are often single-wall (plank and beam) construction dating from the 1960's or older. A very average house in the mainland is something to get excited about over her. Food prices are high and approaching absurd. As of March 2008, a gallon of milk cost about 8 buck when not on sale, and a gallon of gas is pushing 4 bucks. Taxes are high and pyramid due to the presence of an excise rather than sales tax. Property taxes are fairly low, but public education is a disaster partly for this reason. Hawaii's population continues to grow, but it is due to immigration and all that entails. Property crime is one of the worst in the nation, but violent crime is only so-so. Hawaii has it's good points, but it has an awful lot of negatives as well. The last census showed that there is a net loss of locals (including part Hawaiians) to the mainland each year. These are usually the kids that go to college on the mainland and discover what real housing and jobs look like. The never come back, and often other family members join them. Of course, that means that the uneducated locals tend to remain in Hawaii even as micronesian and filipino immigrants pour in, kind of like a soup of something murky getting more concentrated as the water boils off. A lot of local folks seem worried about Hawaii's future quality of life for this reason, or at least they sure seem to groan about it a lot.

i am actually moving to hawaii soon and since i am doing that i am doing my research....never go anywhere without knowing anything....anyway.....a few days into my research i found that the hawaiian natives would rather reinstitute the old monarchy instead of having the democracy that apparently intrudes on there way of life......think about it.....lets just say that hawaii is huge house full of natives(hawaiian) and you have a bunch of strangers walking in your kitchen and bedrooms...with all honesty...if i had a stranger in my house...i would beat the shit out of him with my baseball bat hanging right by my front door...but they can't do that can they...because technically it isn't THERE house anymore....it was taken by the American government so they could have easier access to the pacific ocean and any enemys in between....on a strategic standpoint...kudos for america for getting such a hold on the pacific...but at a cultural standpoint......they actually just said....."HEY YOU, WE LIKE YOUR ISLAND....IT NOW BELONGS TO US"....just alittle obtrusive don't you think.....

Hawaii is a place I hvae not yet visited but hope to so do later this year.

According to my Dad it's crowded, expensive, traffic is bad, but it's absolutely breathtaking. He loves living there.

My brother lives in hawaii serving in the military. they receive all forms of hatred for serving there, and because of that, hinders the experience. visiting him there i myself (just being white) have received cold treatment from employees and from the natives. while it is a beautiful place, no matter how long you live there, the tension will always be there. is that something that you can overcome? maybe. but i sure didnt like it. dont get me wrong, hawaii is 10X better than the postcards (although they dont portray the poverty, drugs, etc that smother the streets) and i would love to return, but it is not a friendly place.

It's beautiful. If you're an outdoorsy person, there are plenty of free things to do - hiking, snorkeling, swimming. Food and rent are expensive, and the housing quality is bad. The government can't seem to figure out that it should encourage us to grow our own food again. If you like Asian food, you'll be in heaven. Mom and pop places often serve huge portions for decent prices (compared to food in general). I find people to be very friendly (and yes, I'm white). We have great cultural festivals for almost all of the major Asian nations that live here. State government bureaucracy is worse than anywhere I've ever lived, state tax forms are incomprehensible and impossible to do yourself, and no one is able to get anything online in any manner that makes sense. Basically, there are positives, and negatives. Just like anywhere else.

I grew up in Hawaii, Kealekekua, Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. I went to Konaweana elementery school and Church of the Pacific ACE school in Kailua. My stepfather is Hawaiian as are four of my siblings. I am haoli, my mom is haoli. It was a difficult childhood. I have experienced "reverse racism" (??? who coined this term?). I was followed in stores, had no friends, received Ds and Fs all through gradeschool at Konaweana, called a stinkin haoli, had no friends until a redhead freckle face came in to my third grade class of Ms. Ikeda Ms. Sato and Ms. Arai.... will write more later

I have lived on Oahu for a year now; we are military. The "locals" do their share of complaining about being part of the US. You see them drive around with stickers on their trucks saying "Keep Hawaii Native" and "locals only". They believe the last queen was framed with weapons and thrown into "jail" in her home, which might be true. And thats how we got Hawaii. But honestly, they have real benefits from being part of the US and fail to realize it. The schools are poor. Education is made easy so kids will pass grades. They dont even use real grades here! No A,B,C,D,F. Some local teachers DO treat hoale kids different. My son was playing football with some kids and he tackled one to which the boy replied "damn you, white boy!" The hatred is passed down from grandparents. The roads are aweful. They have potholes and the dividing lines are faded. The upkeep is very poor. Trash all over the highway, unkept grass. You would think with all the tourist money, they could reinvest into some roadwork and beautification. Just drive up to northshore. You'll see. Parking is unbearable. Its survival of the fittest. Parking lots are ALWAYS full and you have to coast around and fight with 2 other cars for one spot. Thats the negative. When you get to the beach, say on northshore, you forget it all. You look at the turquoise water and wade through lava rocks while picking up sea cucumbers and pencil urchins and forget all the bad stuff. The water is so crystal clear. You swim with turtles and humus. The kids catch all kinds of sea creatures. We jump off Waimea jump rock and snorkle in water so clear it looks like a swim pool. The waves rock you to peace. Its heaven on earth. We bbq on the beach, then after all day we go to Haleiwa for shave ice. Its wonderful. Nothing beats it. So if you can ignore the nagging locals, traffic, small houses, no yards, no parking, etc, or grin and bear it, you will love it here. I do.