The big island of Hawaii has a quaint small town located on the western shores called Hilo. The small town comes with a rich cultural history and wealth of agriculture that will provide a wonderful home for people who are planning to move to Hawaii. The small town of Hilo has a Hawaiian name of "new moon," which fits the small town well with its beautiful night skies. It is a small town, but it is the largest town on the big island of Hawaii. Hilo is also a flourishing community with over 40,000 residents, and continues to grow every year. The median age for residents in Hilo are in the range of 38 to 65 years of age. There is a large diverse community of Japanese, Polynesian, Chinese, White Anglo, African-American, Puerto Rican, Russian, Hispanic, and Portuguese.
The annual income for Hilo is lower than most other places in Hawaii with a national average of $39,000 a year, which gives Hilo a much bigger poverty rate. The poverty rate became such a concern that the town started an economic recovery program that helped improve the outlook for jobs for many residents of Hilo. The biggest industry for jobs in Hilo is construction and teaching. People who live in Hilo enjoy shorter commutes than many other larger cities, such as Oahu and Honolulu.
Many people have moved from the larger cities in Hawaii to Hilo to retire because of the wonderful small town feel and less commute times. It is one of the least visited islands for tourists, but it still holds a lot of culture and history that the residents hold dear to their heart. One advantage for people moving to Hilo is that the real estate taxes are much lower with a tax payment of less than $400 a year. The homes in Hilo are also much more affordable than other places in Hawaii with homes being as low as $150,000. Over sixty percent of Hilo are made of single family homes where home owners were paying over $1,100 a month for mortgage. Apartments were renting for only $500 a month or more in Hilo. Another advantage for people thinking about moving to Hilo is that the small city is devoid of any high rise structures, which keeps the beauty of the town in tact. It is only recently that bigger developments have started popping up, such as the Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center, which is being built for the University of Hawaii, and research lab. Both projects are in the $25 to 60 million dollar range, and has been bringing many jobs to the area.
The Foreign Trade Zone in Hilo has been attracting many businesses into the area, which is making Hilo a large hub for business and government. The main centers for the economy in Hilo comes from livestock, agriculture, government, education, and aquaculture. Due to the Volcano National Park being situated in near Hilo the tourism has been growing in the past few years. Hilo is also big on attracting tourists by having over 400,000 cruise ships bringing tourists to the small island. The Volcano National Park is a fun attraction for tourists to actually watch volcanic activity and lava flows. Some of the most active volcanoes in the world are located near Hilo named Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. They are a beautiful sight to behold. Another active volcano that has actually destroyed homes since 1983 is Mount Kilauea. The biggest concerns for the island of Hilo are tsunamis and the active volcano Mauna Loa. Mainly due to the tsunamis that hit Hilo in 1960 which carried half of the town away. Another tsunamis ruined the waterfront district and a lot of businesses in the area in 1960. Due to these concerns Hilo government created stone breakwaters to protect the harbor and the town.
Hilo is only one of a few towns that does not have a beach nearby, which is a lot of the reasons why the tourism is so low in the town. The main attractions are the volcanoes. Hilo also gets a large amount of rain fall every year that many other islands do not suffer from. Hilo gets more rain fall than many other cities in the United States, which has given it the attribute of being the rainiest city in the nation. The rainy seasons seem to have a mind of their own since it only rains in Hilo at night, which gives the agricultural fields a lot of moisture at night, but sun during the day. The temperatures in Hilo are perfect all year round with low sixties in the winter months and high nineties in the summer.
Convenient location in Hilo. Property is in need of repairs but has potential.
Listing courtesy of Hawaii Life.
Embrace the ease of everyday living with this conveniently located property. This property is generous in size, has utilities available and just moments away from shoppi...
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Island Properties - Hilo.
Ground floor 2 bedroom 1 bath unit located in the Kapiolani Villas condominium. Enjoy the convenience of living just a few minutes walk to Downtown Hilo and less than a ...
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Island Properties - Hilo.
Based on information from the Multiple Listing Service of Hicentral MLS, Ltd. Listings last updated on . Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Copyright: 2024 by HiCentral MLS, Ltd. IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers' personal, non-commercial use. It may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
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Hawaii Realty International
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