TheBuzz
TheBuzz
A permanent
vacation in KailuaKailua is one of the United States' Top 5 spots for a permanent vacation.
Using proprietary software, Andrew Schiller, founder and president of Worcester Mass.-based Location Inc., came up with the list.
He didn't even know that Hollywood producer David E. Kelley and actress-wife Michelle Pfeiffer are part-time Lanikai residents.
"I had no idea," Schiller told TheBuzz.
It is the first time the company has compiled this list.
"I was inspired to do so because we're in Massachusetts in a very brutal winter," he said. The topic was getting bounced around the office and the gang decided to produce a top-five list that combined the good qualities people are looking for in a warm beach vacation as well as factors that create a perfect place to live and raise a family.
"Often these things do not coincide," Schiller said.
Location Inc. used its NeighborhoodScout software and scoured the coastlines from the Carolinas through the Florida coast, the Gulf coast and up California to the mid-coast and around Hawaii.
"That was basically dissolving the data of 12,000 neighborhoods and 3,000 more cities and towns to come up with the lead five," he said.
The search took 20 minutes.
"It took me 20 minutes to query the areas, but two and a half years to build and construct the database and software to do that query," Schiller said. "We were reaping the harvest of our past work."
The list is based on nationally comparable information from various sources in the federal government, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Housing Authority, the FBI and the Justice Department.
"I'm a nerdy Ph.D geographer," Schiller chuckled.
The software is not for sale, but the company sells subscriptions to relocation consultants and Realtors. Homebuyers looking to relocate are able to use www.neighborhoodscout.com free for up to 5 matches.
"Often what they do is, through the service, choose to connect with the real estate professional who knows the neighborhood best," Schiller said.
Oh, yeah -- the other four permanent vacation destinations are Sullivan's Island, S.C.; Key Biscayne, Fla.; San Clemente, Calif.; and Huntington Beach, Calif.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com