How do you view clouds?

Information on Hilo/Mountain View Area of Hawaii?

• Hi everyone! My husband and I want to move to Hawaii and from everything we have read the Hilo/Mountain View area is the best place for us; very country, with lots of places I can find work. I am wondering though if there is anything we should know about being there....like how badly it floods, How the rain clouds "work", i.e. do they go away and come back everyday, (like in some areas of the continental) or when it rains does it rain all day; things like that. Also any cultural information you might be be able to fill us in on would help a great deal I am sure; especially while I search for work! Thanks so much for all of your help!

• Answer:

  Hilo and Mt. View are both on the windward side of the island and are very lush and green...of course, the reason they are so lush and green is because they get rain...lots of rain! It does seem to rain more days than not. As a consequence of all that rain, they also have their fair share of mosquitos. They have also been invaded by the little Coqui frogs that get very loud when you're trying to go to sleep! The good news is, most of Hilo's 140" of annual rainfall, falls at night. And, most days have at least some sunshine breaking thru, usually by 9:00 or 10:00 AM. The problem with that is, it also can make for very humid conditions. So, be prepared for average temps in the low-to-mid 80's with uncomfortably high humidity at times. I am not aware of any special laws about needing a special permit to do home repairs, other than the same requirements that you will find in all cities/counties across the country. The fact that they are ignored, unless you are building an extension or completely remodeling, is another issue. I would be very surprised if the people at Home Depot asked for your permit if you were buying a light switch! Right now, the Big Island is suffering high unemployment just like the rest of the country..world! So, expect job hunting to be somewhat difficult. Many jobs are filled on the "who-do-you-know" system, rather than the "what-do-you-know", so be prepared for some of that. That also means the newspaper is not always the best source for job hunting since many jobs are filled without being advertised...so social networking and a lot of leg-work may be ahead. Good luck and best wishes!