On the Windward side of Oahu,
just
north of Kailua, is the
famous Kaneohe
bay, and the city of Kaneohe.It’s one of the larger cities on Oahu,
with its own mall, several elementary schools, and HawaiiPacificUniversity
just a few miles away off the Pali hwy.While most of Kaneohe
was
built back in the 60’s and 70’s, the downtown area has recently
undergone a
really nice renovation that has brought some life back into this
community.
From anywhere you Kaneohe
you can see the breath taking Koolau mountains, the most dominant
visual
feature of the area.They are bright
green with lush foliage all year, so you can have a nice view from all
over Kaneohe.
When Highway 3 (H3) was built, Kaneohe
suddenly became a very popular area to live for people who worked
farther west
than before, closer to the airport.H3
allowed people to commute quickly through the Koolau mountain range to Aiea,
SaltLake,
Pearl Harbor, and the Honolulu
airport. With Kaneohe a
lot easier
to get to, home sales saw a huge boost.
While Kaneohe
has a pretty large downtown area, it also has some great countryside.Up in the northern area past Ahuimanu, you
can find some really rural areas with an old Hawaii
feel.The nice thing is that although
it’s country, you are only half an hour or so from downtown Honolulu.
Weather –
The Windward side of Oahu
gets a lot of rain, and Kaneohe
is
probably the rainiest part of the Windward side.Homes
near the mountains get rain all year
round, which means mold and rot are a constant battle. But residents of
Kaneohe
will tell you it’s worth it because the weather is cool all year, with
the
trade winds blowing most of the time.
Kaneohe Real Estate
There are over 11,000 housing units in Kaneohe,
including single family homes, condos, and townhouses.You can get anything from a small condo in a highrise
for about $250k, to an oceanfront mini mansion for $4million.You can even get a nice horse property in Kaneohe
with several acres for just a couple million dollars, which is cheap
for horse
property.
The average single family home in Kaneohe
is going to cost you about $700k-$800k, and most were built in the 70’s
and
80’s. First you have to decide if you want a home out in the country or
one
near the town, because Kaneohe has a little of both. Kaneohe Amenities
The biggest (literally) benefit of Kaneohe
is the beautiful bay.Although there
isn’t much good surfing in Kaneohe
bay, there is great sailing, diving, and kite surfing.You can do almost anything you can imagine in
the bay, and then you can go enjoy one of the three golf courses.
The Windward mall was renovated in 2007, which made a huge
difference in the feel of the town.A
few other shopping areas were renovated or rebuilt nearby, which have
helped Kaneohe
to feel like the great little town it was back in the day.Just about everything you would need is in Kaneohe,
so you won’t have to go down to Honolulu
town very often.
