Dedicated to Bob Stewart

(who is attending the Hawaii Association of Realtors®  2008 Pacific Rim Conference & Expo on the Island of Hawaii on September 18 & 19th, 2008 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village )

Yes, Hawaii is a State that was admitted into the Union on August 21, 1959 and making it the 50th State. Now, for those that have never even stepped foot in Hawaii.... let's clear up a few things.

First of all, it's widespread near and far that Hawaii is an island paradise. Right? Full of trade winds blowing through your hair and beautiful balmy sunny skies above. We have beautiful beaches and lush green valleys and wonderful hiking trails through our mountainous ridges. Oh, yes. Hawaii is all of that and then some.

We do not live in grass shacks and sip Mai Tai's with little umbrellas all day. Nor do the men run around in little cloths wrapped around their bottoms or women in grass skirts and topless. Yes, we carry a lot of tradition but we are also modernized ....just like you.

You are making your plans for your Relocation to Hawaii or even your vacation or honeymoon to Hawaii and you don't know where you want to stay. You haven't the fogiest idea that Hawaii is made up of small islands and that each island is a county.

By following the map below you can see the layout of the EIGHT HAWAIIAN ISLANDS and where they are located in conjuction to our island, Oahu.

Oahu is HONOLULU COUNTY.

Starting from the top I'll name off the islands and give a brief description of each:

• Niihau (knee ee how oo):  The "Forbidden Island". Privately owned by the Robinson family since 1864 it is only accessed by family members, the US Navy, guests and government officials.
• Kauai (cow eye ee) or "The Garden Isle" and one of the wettest spots on earth is on Mt. Waialeale. My mother was born and raised here too. It is also Kauai County.
• Oahu (oh ah hoo): "The Gathering Place" is where the business and hustle and bustle is. Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head and the famous Sunset Beach on the North Shore. This is HONOLULU COUNTY. And our office is in Central Oahu in Mililani Town.
• Molokai (Mo lo ka ee): Is the "Friendly Isle" and one of the least developed islands in the Hawaiian Islands.
• Lanai (la na ee) was known as the "Pineapple Island". The pineapples phased out and now there are a couple of resorts there.
• Maui (ma oo ee) or the "Valley Isle" is known for its isthmus (the little portion of land that connects the two larger masses of land). This is Maui County.
• Ah....the ISLAND OF HAWAII. Now this is what confuses people when they think of "Hawaii" or the Hawaiian Islands. The island of Hawaii is also known as "the Big Island" obviously for it being the largest of the islands as well as the largest island in the United States. It is also larger than all of the islands combined. This is HAWAII COUNTY.

So the next time you want to plan for your vacation, the first thing to think of is....which island do I want to spend my time on? Should I plan for a tour of a couple of the islands?

For those of you that are Relocating to Hawaii with the Military you may want to find out which island you are going to be based on as well. Most likely it'll be on Oahu where all branches of the military are. For a complete map click on the following link for Honolulu County Hawaii Military Bases & Installations- Oahu Neighborhoods

 ~~~

Ride the Wave to Success  - 2008 Pacific Rim Conference and Expo Registration Form hosted by the Hawaii Association of Realtors®, Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Island of Hawaii- September 18 & 19, 2008

~~~

© 2008 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman's Hawaii Real Estate and Relocation Blog. All rights reserved

www.cheesemanhomes.com