It’s increasingly common for Hawaii residents to be priced out of the Aloha State, where the median price for a single-family home topped $900,000 during the pandemic. Many are heading to more affordable places to live, like Las Vegas.
2021 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau,
Las Vegas was desirable to the Purdys because it’s a popular vacation destination for Hawaii residents, which meant family would likely visit often. Also, the cost of living is significantly lower. There’s even a real estate brokerage that helps families relocate from the islands — run by mostly former Hawaii residents.
“Over time, it just became exhausting trying to make ends meet,” said Villarimo. “It’s heartbreaking that’s the choice we make. The majority of us, I think we just got priced out of home.” When Villarimo and her family decided to move to Nevada, her husband Henry had never even left Hawaii. For Hawaii residents, the draw to Las Vegas can all be traced back to a downtown hotel that opened in 1975, authorThe hotel originally catered to Californians, but he struggled to get business. Reminded of gambling’s popularity in Hawaii, it shifted focus to visitors from the islands. “Aloha Spoken Here” became the hotel’s slogan.In 2019, Doreen Hall decided to move to Las Vegas to be closer to her daughter, who had moved to Seattle for more job opportunities.
That allowed her to get involved in the Las Vegas Hawaiian Civic Club, where she now teaches Hawaiian.In Las Vegas, Purdy’s children began to learn hula and the family enjoyed “hoolaulea,” cultural festivals that were bigger than celebrations back in Hawaii.Purdy said that his wife wanted to take care of her mother, who began showing signs of dementia.
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