You won't confuse the climate for its island namesake, but for residents of Hawaiian Village, beach-front living is paradise
Story by Corey Ross
As he greets me in the front yard of his Hawaiian Village home, resident and retiree Bob Wilson takes the moment to make both a joke and a point.
"Do you know why we have front yards?" he asks. "Because we have to."
Indeed, life at Hawaiian Village in Papillion is decidedly lived to the rear, where the overwhelming majority of homes back up to the spring-fed lake that provides much of the area's ambience, recreation and entertainment.
Founded 40 years ago, about 15 miles south of Omaha, the area has blossomed into a lake haven for retirees and families with small children, the two demographics that largely populate the area's nearly 200 homes.
The Hawaiian Village name suggests paradise and the Hawaiian theme is gladly carried out by residents who accent their beaches with thatched roof huts and hold Hawaiian luau-style barbeques.
During the summer, when lake activity and beach backyard entertaining are at their peak, the area does it best to become a Midwestern version of its namesake.
"In the winter, though, it gets just as cold up in the hill in Omaha as it does here," jokes Wilson, who's had a home in the area for 20 years and lived there half that time with wife Mary.
RE/MAX Realtor Peg Maloney is another long-time resident and says the low turn-over in the area, and communal lake living, have created a close-knit community that allows for as much social life as residents care to have.
"We have a very active social committee and there's usually a party in one cove or another," she says. "A lot of residents hire a band on a weekend and neighbors will contribute to the cost. There are tennis courts, sand volleyball league and bunko nights.
"You can be as involved as you want, or not, and nobody is going to judge you."
And if you prefer to experience the great outdoors in solitude, you can do that as well. The lake association keeps the lake stocked with walleyes and wipers (a white bass/striped bass hybrid) for fishing, and wild turkey and deer are plentiful in the area. The nearby Platte River is also a destination for migrating birds and attracts the occasional bald eagle.
The Hawaiian Village Lake Association sets the rules for boating and monitors activity closely. Taking a lesson from the fate of Lake Zorinsky, Wilson says the association has vigilantly guarded against zebra mussels.
"We're very concerned and are taking precautions so that doesn't happen here. They're marching across the Midwest and we don't want them here because they're very hard to get rid of," says Wilson, a member of the association.
Wilson says the lake is mostly six and eight feet deep, but does drop to a depth of 40 feet.
The pricing of lake living? Homes in the area range from $250,000 to $400,000 and spend a fairly average 85 to 120 days on the market, Maloney says.
"But one sold recently in four days," she says. "It depends on the price."
Maloney says the area went through two bursts of home building, one in the 70s and another in the 90s, giving it a diverse range of homes, featuring an array of architecture, styles and elements.
Another draw to the area for families is Westmont Elementary School, a smaller school with an enrollment of 230 that allows for more individual student attention.
"And the school bus comes to your house," Maloney says.
For high school, kids attend Springfield Platteview.
The neighborhood is most active for the fourth of July, and it does hold a big organized Easter egg hunt in the spring, but mainly the experience is the one Maloney looks forward to every Sunday.
"Any given Sunday is my favorite time," she says. "That's when our family gets together, and it's just a relaxing, peaceful time."
