10-09-2016, 10:45 AM
Ditto to the above, even in priority of listing. I lived in Naalehu for 2 years & moved out when the Halemaumau Crater opened up sending vast amounts of vog that way. Not good for young lungs. Pahala high has an emergency (shut the windows) system for when it gets really bad. It is beautiful inexpensive rural country, but poverty is an issue & all the things that brings w/ it. Waiohinu has the best water on the island from Ha'ao Springs, the hardware store is great & there are food stores in Ocean View. I would never live in Ocean View (lava zone 2), crime is scary & it's mostly naked lava. Trips to Kona or Hilo are over 65 miles each way. Grazing animals do better there, the grass is full of nutrients as opposed to very rainy areas in Puna. I know a horse breeder who transports his horses to Waiohinu to fatten up. There are good & bad people everywhere, it usually depends on how you see them. It can take a long time to be accepted there & you have to prove yourself worthy, which I'm sure you're aware of in small villages. The kids may have a hard time in school being accepted. You can also check on KonaWeb.