Please, don’t move to Hawaii.

Natives and locals are begging you.

Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash

As someone who was born and raised in Hawaii, and spent 22 years of their life there, I’m very protective of the place I grew up. Growing up in a place fueled by tourism, your home can sometimes feel like a revolving door of people who are only concerned with one thing- their needs. Hawaii is more than a vacation, it’s home to so many people.

I moved away from Hawaii on a temporary basis in 2013, and in 2015 a more permanent basis. Every time I’ve gone home to visit, I cry the day I leave, and all the plane ride back.

As I’ve gotten older and entered a stage of my life where I’d like to live in my forever home, I’ve seriously considered moving back to Hawaii. Except, I can’t.

Photo by Look Up Look Down Photography on Unsplash

In recent years, the amount of continental US and foreign buyers buying homes in Hawaii has soared, driving up the costs of homes and making it difficult for native Hawaiians and local people to remain in Hawaii, or to move back.

This 2015 article from Hawaii News Now gives this statistic regarding homes sold to US mainlanders/foreign citizens:

Statewide, 24 percent of all homes…