Moving to Ainalaoa

[missydog1]

That is right on about the overshadowing, leilaniguy.

Three Ainaloa-related cases in particular have made an impact on me over the years. I remember when they were in the news enough to be able to find them again.

Husband stabs pregnant wife and kills unborn son and 14 year old son.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/articl...30405.html

Boyfriend shoots mother of his child in front of their 2 year old son and burns her body.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/articl...90355.html
Daysha's diary:
http://dartcenter.org/content/dayshas-diary-1
(I had interacted with her at her job, and was at Safeway the night of the vigil and march in her name, when the store was semi-deserted because they let people go participate).

Horrible abuse of young girl from age 9 on, found in shocking condition:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/articl...70358.html
(this is the case you mentioned).

as I raised the topic of domestic violence and that was questioned, here is a somewhat in depth article on the domestic abuse problem in the state of Hawai'i. It is not about neighborhoods, or Puna; it is Oahu-centric, but the problem is statewide. (It is about the system and its failure, not about which groups have the problem.)
http://dartcenter.org/content/crossing-l...aiÕi-homes

and here an article on child abouse in Puna (not Ainaloa), that came out of the neglect/torture case:
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/02...tory3.html

You are right that a few major heavy cases don't represent the whole picture by any means. OTOH, in these incidents, the troubled situation went on for some time.

I would speculate that the subdivisions with smaller lots, paved roads, utilities tend to draw different demographics than the larger parcels with poor roads and lacking utilities. The latter tend to draw farmers/people looking for seclusion and self-sufficiency. In a mainland city, a quarter acre lot is hardly small, but here it is.

(I don't include the oceanfront subdivisions (or parts of subdivisions) in that spec. It is typical to have smaller lots near the ocean because the land is so desirable.) I don't know if my spec is accurate. It is more something I wonder about and am curious what others think.

[pahoated]

There are some brand new houses in Ainaloa and they really stick out. Ainaloa is very ethnic and very tough. Best thing is invest in good fencing, motion sensor lights and driveway alarms. Ainaloa can be described as lower middle class and the sense of ownership is anything off the property is up for grabs, sometimes anything on the property is up for grabs and even sometimes, anything in the house is up for grabs. Put up no trespassing signs and alarm warning signs. Otherwise, Ainaloa has some quite beautiful areas and it looks like anything grows there.

[csgray]

I know several people who have lived in Ainaloa for years (including "local," kama'aina and former mainlanders)and they seem to have no more or less of the usual Puna issues of petty crime, roosters, domestic fights, barking dogs, and speeding cars than everywhere else. HPP recently had a little spike in violent crime, other subdivisions have had theirs, I think it is very hard to make accurate sweeping generalizations about any subdivision in Puna, it varies so greatly from street to street. Anywhere is only one bad neighbor moving in away from becoming a living hell.

Carol

[coppercoin40]

so the more land around you maybe the better... quiet, slower. How is the upper Puna Road area?

[Guest]

I hope we don't have any bigots on punaweb, that would be a shame.

“Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms.”
-Ron Paul

[islandlvng]

randymu42, I think you will be more than fine. There are some who will talk down on all areas of Puna no matter what. Ainaloa is a very large and growing subdivision. I know several families that live up there and have no problems outside of a cd player being stolen out of a unlocked car. When a crime happens that stands out, it is few and far between. I am a 26 year resident here and yes home buglaries are on alert in Puna areas, but Ainaloa is far less on the radar than other places.

I think you will enjoy your new place and have no problems at all. Yes things can happen to all of us but absolutely no reason to be paranoid about it. I hope some of the comments by people who don't live in Ainaloa and have never lived there have discouraged you in any way. I think the only thing that may get on your nerves is the hwy intersection and crappy drivers lol.

[coppercoin40]

many times I wish that there was a "like" button on Punaweb!

[DTisme]

Every agent is different. I remember house hunting with our agent a few years back and when we drove by Ainaloa we asked what was up there. She said, "You wouldn't be interested" and we asked why. She said it was run down and the lots were small. She said same thing about Nanawale, and that's why we didn't even look there. Now we go to Ainaloa many a weekend for garage sales and there is good and there is bad. We have met friendly folks having their garage sales. I do like that the roads are paved and some of them are nice and wide. That said, you can have four real nice well-cared-for houses in a row then that one you wouldn't walk by at night! But that's Puna. As KathyH says, you can make it a fine neighborhood by getting involved. I think also there's an image of Ainaloa based on the houses on the lower-end streets near the highway on small lots that seem more run-down than some of the houses farther away from the highway that are better maintained. Also, it's quite common there to see kids playing in the streets and I don't see that in HPP, so it feels a little more kid-friendly to me. It seems like the nicest streets seem to be in the middle of the sub division, but that might just be me.

I am interested why so many assumptions about what KathyH said and not about others who said the area was not safe, etc. Personally, I didn't take her domestic violence sentence as connected to the "locals" sentence and I think she explained her meanings well when asked.

[nana valley]

Randy, you will be welcome! I bought in Nanawale and oh boy, did I hear the negative remarks about that area. But I love it here. We have nice church people who live in Ainaloa...they do just fine. I love your aloha attitude, too!

[oink]

quote:

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Originally posted by DTisme: I am interested why so many assumptions about what KathyH said and not about others who said the area was not safe, etc. Personally, I didn't take her domestic violence sentence as connected to the "locals" sentence and I think she explained her meanings well when asked.

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Wrong, it was clearly bigoted. But first let me say I didn't see it as a real big deal. Everyone has a at least a little bigot in them. Her refusal to own what she actually said and the relatively mild response to it says more.

The assumptions about what she said are easy. In fact, if the same were said by a Real Estate Agent while showing property, it would be at least borderline illegal. The later "clarification" changed nothing. Parts of it even smacked of the classic I have friends who are black argument. Perhaps the idea of Racism and White Privilege on the Liberal-Left should be looked at. I certainly won't suggest Kathy is a bad person because of the post, but the post is what it is.

I purposely avoided commenting on the original post but as further defense of the post has been made I could no longer restrain myself. Bigoted, yes. The end of the world, no.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.