What's with Leilani?

[nanasohana]

You have to move about every ten years...find utopia, enjoy, they come, move, rinse, repeat.

[Kapoho Joe]

The neverending sprawl of humanity has chased me out of Boulder, Asheville, Eugene, Arcata and soon Pahoa.

[kalakoa]

subdivision of 5000 acres, with CCR's that are 30 miles long and prints on 5000 pages

I've considered this, with a CC&R provision that you can be kicked out of the subdivision for good reason.

[randomq]

If only "voted off the island" were a thing.

[MarkD]

Comments: Where the hell do we move to now?....you have to move about every ten years.....The neverending sprawl of humanity has chased me out of......(etc)

Justifiable laments. A sad reality is that rural living generally gives you no control over your neighbors.

Suburban gated communities. They work. (Not too many in Hawaii; common on the mainland.) I never liked the concept, but since law enforcement in Hawaii (and many other locales) has such a problem in controlling crime/low-life behavior, they are increasingly an option. Gate communities offer peace of mind.

Or even living in a well-managed condo in Waikiki (as I did for a while). Property manager controls your neighbors. Sure the streets are incredibly busy and loud, but double-pane windows make noisy Honolulu more liveable. And reality is most city streets are pretty safe; muggings/assaults are rare.

Live in a peaceful Puna property for 10-15 years and then a neighbor from hell moves in next door. You're screwed. Sad thing.

[TomK]

"Live in a peaceful Puna property for 10-15 years and then a neighbor from hell moves in next door. You're screwed. Sad thing."

Unfortunately, as some of here can confirm, this is so true.

[terracore]

When I was younger I moved into "the hood" chasing cheaper rents. When I signed the lease I had no idea the house next to us was literally a crack house. It was an interesting learning experience for a young man. Theft, robbery, home invasions, homicides, etc were common in the area. Police task forces were set up for gangs and various other elements, and they did make some headway while I lived there, but not much.

Oddly enough, the neighborhood gentrified on it's own. The dot-com crash and subsequent recession cratered the already low real estate values and developers, house flippers, and people from the suburbs seeking affordable housing moved into the area. It's now a safe "artsy" area with boutique stores, trendy restaurants, and renovated homes. The old crack house looks great. The run-down green spaces that were once favored by prostitutes and drug dealers are beautiful manicured parks and kids play in the street.

Oddly enough I see some of this happening in Puna. It's a slower and clumsier process because the lack of density, but I have the feeling that if I moved away for 20 years and came back, it would be like me going back to that crack house neighborhood and nearly not recognizing it.

The one thing that isn't better at my old stomping grounds- THE TRAFFIC.

[birdmove]

Sounds a bit like Tacoma, Washington, the "hilltop".

Jon in Keaau/HPP