Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu as seen from the International Space Station

Honolulu is the largest city and the capital of the U.S. state of Hawai'i. In the Hawaiian language, honolulu means "sheltered bay" or "place of shelter." The city is located along the southeast coast of the island of O'ahu. The term also refers to the District of Honolulu (see Geography below). As of the 2000 Census, the population of (mostly) the Honolulu District was 371,657. However, in Hawai'i, municipal governments operate only at the county level, and the City & County of Honolulu encompasses all of the Island of O'ahu, having a 2000 Census population of 876,156 (compare with 1,211,537 for the entire state).

Table of contents

1 Geography
2 Neighborhoods and Districts
3 Transportation
4 Demographics
5 Tourist Attractions
6 Colleges & Universities
7 External Links

Geography

Honolulu is located at 21°18'32" North, 157°49'34" West (21.308950, -157.826182)¹. While this is clearly in the tropics, the climate (temperature and humidity) is moderated by the mid-ocean location and some cooling achieved by the California Current that passes through the islands much of year.

A view of downtown Honolulu at Bishop and King streets
with First Hawaiian Bank building (left) and
Bank of Hawaii (right).().

The Honolulu District is located on the southeast coast of O'ahu between Makapu'u and Hālawa. The District boundary follows the Ko'olau crestline, so Makapu'u Beach is in the Ko'olaupoko District. On the west, the district boundary follows Hālawa Stream, then crosses Red Hill and runs just west of Aliamanu Crater, so that Aloha Stadium, Pearl Harbor, and Hickam Air Force Base are actually all in the 'Ewa District. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Honolulu District has a total area of 272.1 km² (105.1 mi²). 222.0 km² (85.7 mi²) of it is land and 50.1 km² (19.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 18.42% water.

Most of the city's commercial and industrial developments are located on a narrow but relatively flat coastal plain, while numerous ridges and valleys located inland of the coastal plain divide Honolulu's residential areas into distinct neighborhoods: some spread along valley floors (like Mānoa in Mānoa Valley) and others climbing the interfluvial ridges. Within Honolulu proper can be found a number of volcanic cones: Punchbowl, Diamond Head, Koko Head (includes Hanauma Bay), Koko Crater, Salt Lake, and Āliamanu are most conspicuous.

Neighborhoods and Districts

Downtown Honolulu is the commercial and governmental center of Hawaii. On the waterfront is Aloha Tower, which for many years was the tallest building in Hawaii. Currently the tallest building is the 450-foot-tall First Hawaiian Tower, located on King & Bishop Streets. On the eastern side of downtown is the historic center of Hawaii's state government: the Hawaii State Capitol, Iolani Palace, Honolulu Hale, and the statue of King Kamehameha I are the central features of this area, along with numerous government buildings.
Kaka'ako is a former light-industrial district between Downtown and Waikiki that has seen a large-scale redevelopment effort in the past decade. It is home to two major shopping areas, Ward Warehouse and Ward Centre. Several other redevelopment projects are planned in this area, including a new medical school for the University of Hawaii.
Waikīkī is the famous tourist district of Honolulu, located between the Ala Wai Canal and the Pacific Ocean. Numerous hotels, shops, and other nightlife are located along Kalakaua and Kuhio Avenues. World-famous Waikīkī Beach attracts thousands of visitors a year. Just west of Waikīkī is Ala Moana Center, the world's largest open-air shopping center. A majority of the hotel rooms on O'ahu are located in Waikīkī.
Mānoa and Makiki are residential neighborhoods located in adjacent valleys just inland of Downtown and Waikīkī. Mānoa Valley is home to the main campus of the University of Hawaii.
Palolo and Kaimukī are neighborhoods east of Mānoa and Makiki, inland from Diamond Head. Palolo Valley parallels Mānoa and is a residential neighborhood. Kaimukī is mixed commercial and residential and the home of Chaminade University.
Wai'alae and Kāhala are the upper-class districts of Honolulu located directly east of Diamond Head, where there are many high-priced homes. Also found in these neighborhoods are the Waialae Country Club and the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
East Honolulu includes the residential communities of Āina Haina, Niu Valley, and Hawaii Kai. These are considered upper-middle-class neighborhoods.

Transportation

Located on the western end of the city, Honolulu International Airport is the principal aviation gateway to the state of Hawai'i, and one of the busiest airports in the world.

Two freeways serve Honolulu proper:

Interstate H-1, which, coming into the city from the west, passes Hickam Air Force Base and Honolulu International Airport, runs just north of Downtown and continues eastward through Makiki and Kaimukī, ending at Wai'alae/Kāhala. West of the city proper, H-1 connects to Interstates H-2 from Wahiawa and H-3 from Kāne'ohe.
Moanalua Freeway, State Rte. 78, connects two points along H-1: at Aloha Stadium and Fort Shafter.

Other major highways that link Honolulu proper with other parts of the Island of O'ahu are:

Pali Highway, State Rte. 61, crosses north over the Ko'olau to connect to Kailua and Kāne'ohe on the windward side.
Likelike Highway, State Rte. 63, also crosses the Ko'olau to Kāne'ohe.
Kalanianaole Highway, State Rte. 72, runs eastward from Wai'alae/Kāhala to Hawaii Kai and around the east end of the island to Waimānalo Beach.
Kamehameha Highway, State Rte. 99, runs westward from near Hickam Air Force Base to 'Aiea and beyond, paralleling the H-1.

Like most major American cities, the Honolulu metropolitan area experiences heavy traffic congestion during rush hours, especially to and from the western suburbs of 'Aiea, Pearl City, Waipahu, and Mililani. Land for expanding road capacity is at a premium.

Honolulu's public transit system, TheBus, has twice been voted "America's Best Transit System" by the American Public Transportation Association (1994-1995 and 2000-2001). The system operates 93 routes with 525 buses.

Honolulu has no fixed rail mass transit system, although periodically, attempts have been made to create one in an attempt to alleviate traffic problems. These proposals have created a good deal of controversy. Supporters say that a rail system is the only long term solution to traffic congestion, while critics question whether the supposed benefits of rail justify the high construction and maintenance cost.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 371,657 people, 140,337 households, and 87,429 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,674.4/km² (4,336.6/mi²). There were 158,663 housing units at an average density of 714.8/km² (1,851.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 19.67% White, 1.62% African American, 0.19% Native American, 55.85% Asian, 6.85% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 14.93% from two or more races. 4.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 140,337 households out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size is 3.23.

In Honolulu the population was spread out with 19.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,112, and the median income for a family was $56,311. Males had a median income of $36,631 versus $29,930 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,191. 11.8% of the population and 7.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.6% were under the age of 18 and 8.5% were 65 or older.