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The information below contains some things to think about and links to resources if you are considering moving to Hilo, Hawaii. It has information about moving your pet and some advice if you are planning to build or buy a house on acreage in the Hilo, Hawaii area, and it includes links to statistics about the County and State of Hawaii to support your research about the Hilo area.
Moving your Pet to Hawaii Hawaii has special rules about moving pets in order to protect the residents and their pets from introducing disease to these remote islands. All dogs and cats must comply with Hawaii's import requirements which are administered by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. By planning in advance you can obtain a direct release of your pet without having them go through a quarantine. There are some breeds of non-domestic cats and dogs that are prohibited in Hawaii such as wolf, dingo, bengal, and others. And there are rules for other types of pets such as birds, fish, turtles, horses, and livestock. Here is information about importing cats and dogs to Hawaii. Here is information about importing livestock including cattle, horses, birds and poultry, sheep and goats, swine, semen and embryos, turtles and tortoises, and other animal species to Hawaii. There are also rules about importing plants, insects, fish, invertebrates, microorganisms, and non-domestic animals to Hawaii.
Before Buying Acreage or Farming in Hilo The lush landscape of East Hawaii drives many city-folks from the mainland to buy acreage to surround themselves with the beauty and peacefulness of Hawaii. Some are compelled by the colorful flowers, delicious vegetables and fruit to take up farming. Before shelling out your money for acreage, or even a large yard, consider the following: Yard Work and Acreage Control: The Hilo yard size should be proportional to your passion for mowing, trimming, and weeding. Labor is expensive and hard to find in Hawaii. It is not like the mainland where you can get five bids to cut your lawn or trim the trees. Many locals have created lava front yards to minimize their yard maintenance overhead. Lack of yard maintenance can quickly cause problems like drawing in loud coqui frogs and crawling bugs, plugging drainage ditches, covering walkways and driveways with weeds or algae, and creating areas with standing water. Tropical fruit trees, bushes, and grass require year round attention which can be very intense and exhasting in the hot, humid climate. The year round warm weather in Hilo means a year-round growing season with no break from gardening, farming or lawn maintenance. We know of folks that have become lost on their 1 acre property due to the fast growth of trees and foliage that obscured their view and changed previously used landmarks. Though there are rules about the types of pesticides and herbicides that can be used in Hawaii, not using them can result in out of control growth and pest invasions. Mowing, weed eating, bug control, algae cleaning, trimming, and harvesting are time-consuming and very physical tasks that should be considered when purchasing a big acreage property in the Hilo area. Find out how much time, money, pesticide, herbicide and gasoline the previous owner used to keep the landscape looking so picture perfect. Living Remotely in East Hawaii: Remote acreage around Hilo may have limited county services such as road maintenance, water, electric, flood protection, cable, internet, cell service, and police coverage. Leaving the property unattended can be risky and finding someone to care for animals or watch the property in a remote area may be a challenge. We have met many people that bought acreages outside of Hilo before realizing the amount of hard labor involved in maintaining a property and the effort involved in living remotely. Make sure you know what you are getting into before buying what looks like a piece of paradise for an incredibly low price. If possible, rent near the area you are considering buying or volunteer at one of the many farms in Puna always on the lookout for garden workers or advertise your willingness to house sit to experiece living in the area. Before Building or Buying a House in Hilo The perfect house for the mainland does not make a good house in Hilo, Hawaii. We have noticed that people often build their dream house for the climate they just came from rather than researching what makes the best house for Hawaii's tropical climate. Read our book Your Ideal Hawaii Home: Avoid Disaster before buying or building in Hawaii to learn what newcomers to Hawaii wished they had known before they bought. The book (in Kindle and paperback) has photos and diagrams to describe the many microclimates on the islands, the differences in rainfall, and house features which keep a house cool in the tropics and minimize mold and utility bills.
Banking in Hilo The big mainland banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America have no presence on the Big Island. Some people do their banking online and get cash via ATMs from their mainland banks. If you want a local bank account, shop around. The banks differ in their services, charges, and CD rates. Here are the primary options:
Many folks use local Credit Unions
Trash, Recycling and Giving Stuff Away in Hilo
There is no curb garbage pickup in Hilo, so you have to sign up with an independent operator or take your garbage to the dump. Hawaii promotes recycling but you are on your own finding out where to take it. Hawaii refunds 5 cents (HI5 program) on cans and plastic bottles (you pay a 5 cent deposit plus some at the store to pay for the program). Hilo has numerous places to take recycling including a site at the dump.
The Hilo Transfer Station is located near Hilo airport at the end of Leilani street. Turn toward the airport on Leilani from Hwy 11 and follow the street until you see the sign. Taking trash to the transfer station is free for residents. In addition to being able dump refuse, there are bins for recylcing glass, cardboard, newspapers, and plastics. Green refuse is accepted and on certain days hazardous waste items are collected. There are people available to accept cans and bottles with HI5 refunds as well. Goodwill is located at Highway 11 next to HPM in Hilo and accepts donations all week long. Hawaii and Hawaii County Statistics Before moving to a new community, it is always worthwhile to study the statistics about the place. Statistics can tell you what type of people are living in a county or state, their ethinicty, education, age, income, health, employment, accident rate, and more. Although there is no replacement for visiting a place, statistics offer a view into a location to access the benefits or challenges there may be for you and your family members. The State and County of Hawaii tracks metrics about the population, health, vital statistics, income, education, employment, visitors, and industries. Here are some links to information:
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