Mililani and Mililani Mauka
In the
center of Oahu is a great community called
Mililani. Divided into 2 parts by H2, Mililani Mauka and Mililani
Town, there are a few thousand homes in this beautiful lush area of
Oahu where the weather seems almost perfect everyday. It's cooler
in the summer than the Ewa Plain and the frequent evening rains
keep the landcape very green.
The
Mauka half of Mililani is the newer side, with
construction that began in the 90's and is still going on. Mililani
Mauka has beautiful homes that will feel more familiar to people from
the mainland who have lived in nice manicured suburbs with large, well
kept homes. Prices in Mililani Mauka start around $300k for a
small condo, and at about $550k for a small house. Upper end
homes
in Mililani Mauka can be over a million dollars, and usually have
3500sqft or more of living space. The average price for a nice
home in Mauka is between $600-700k.
Mililani Mauka Ammenities (not just Costco, schools
too!)
For some reason "ammenities" has recently come to mean: "it has a
Costco." While Mililani does in fact have a Coscto, it has a lot
more than that too. Walmart, City
Mill (hardware), Starbucks, Borders, Longs, and dozens of other things
you would recognize are all available at the Mililani shopping
center. Along with the wide variety of shopping available in
Mililani, it also has a beautiful community center with a pool for one,
and excellent schools for another. Mililani schools are famous in
Hawaii for being the top rated in all areas. Each year the test
scores and parent reviews validate the reputation that Mililani has for
producing top quality students. Mililani Mauka elementary and
Mililani Ike elementary both rank in the top tier of school reviews
done by Honolulu Magazine.
There is
also a medical center in Mililani Mauka, and the master planning done
by the developers and city make it very easy to get from one place to
another.
Mililani town
Mililani
Town is the older side of the city, with homes dating back to the
70's. Older means smaller and often in need of repair, especially
in Hawaii. The town side of Mililani has a great charm about it,
with mature tree lined streets and an older Hawaii feel that will feel
more familiar to those who have lived here for many years. Some
of
the neighborhoods have been very well kept, which is reflected in the
prices. You get more for your money in the town side than on the
mauka side (Mauka means mountain in Hawaiian). There are
definitely some neighborhoods to avoid in the Town side , because
people just haven't kept their homes in good condition in every
neighborhood. It's just a pride of ownership issue, and it shows
even just driving around some parts of Mililani Town.
Mililani weather
The
weather in Mililani is pretty great, with a nice cool breeze all year,
and a light rain almost every night, which keeps the mountains and
trees very green. It's usually about 5-10 degrees cooler in Mililani
than in Ewa and Kapolei, which makes for very nice outdoor
living. It's basically an ideal climate all year.
Since Mililani is right on H2, it's easy to get there from anywhere on the island, even the windward side. You can take H3 down to H1 and go just a few miles up H2 to get to Mililani.
People
like Mililani because the homes on the Mauka side are newer, the
shopping is organized,
the streets are clean and manicured, and the community feels like a
neighborhood more than a big city. Somehow the homes in Mililani
feel modern but still maintain some Hawaii feel. This
house to the right is a nice example. It looks new, but it still has
some Hawaii feel about it.
If you
like newer homes and master planned communities, and you have about
$500-700k, check out Mililani.
