Why the island of Oahu?

The question I get most often is "Which island are you moving to?" and "Why Oahu?". There also seems to be a lot of confusion about which island Honolulu or Waikiki is on...The Big Island perhaps? Maui? Oahu?

Well, Honolulu serves as the capital of Hawaii, which is located on the island of Oahu, also known as the "gathering place". This is the location of the famous Waikiki beach, Diamond Head crater, North Shore professional surfing, & Pearl Harbor.


When we first arrived in Honolulu in February 2010, we thought we made a huge mistake. Here we were in the worlds smallest Marriott hotel room and street-lined tourists, though just steps from the famous Waikiki beach. We also were present for a tsunami warning due to an earthquake in Chile, which shut down the island for 24 hours. This was not looking like paradise!

We quickly learned that the beauty of Oahu was outside Honolulu/Waikiki area. The eastern side, also known as the Windward side (see photo #1 - turquoise area), is a photo opp around every corner as seem below. This side of the island has world famous beaches as well as the Ko'olau mountain range, providing cool breezes and temperatures ranging from 70-80s year round.


Despite the great scenery, beaches, hiking, and weather, the main reason for locating here was the job market.