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HONOLULU, HAWAII - USA
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).
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. The average daily temperature in January is 19-27° C (66-88° F) and in
July is 23-31° C (74-88° F). Temperatures only rarely exceed 32° C (90° F)
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.
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.
Honolulu and Juneau, Alaska are the only two US state capitals that cannot
be reached by road from the rest of the country, or from the majority of the
land area of their respective states.
Neighborhoods and districts
Downtown Honolulu is the commercial and governmental center of Hawai‘i. On
the waterfront is Aloha Tower, which for many years was the tallest building
in Hawai‘i. Currently the tallest building is the 450-foot-tall First
Hawaiian Center, located on King & Bishop Streets. On the eastern side of
downtown is the historic center of Hawai‘i's state government: the Hawai‘i
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 Waikīkī
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 Hawai‘i.
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 Kalākaua 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 Hawai‘i.
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 Wai‘alae Country Club and the Kāhala
Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
East Honolulu includes the residential communities of Āina Haina, Niu Valley,
and Hawai‘i 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.
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 Wahiawā and
H-3 from Kāne‘ohe.
Interstate H-201, also known as the Moanalua Freeway and formerly numbered
Hawaii 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
Hawai‘i 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.
Established by former Mayor Frank F. Fasi, Honolulu's public transit system
has been twice honored by the American Public Transportation Association
bestowing the title of "America's Best Transit System" for 1994-1995 and
2000-2001. O‘ahu Transit Services' TheBus operates 93 routes with a fleet of
525 buses.
Currently, there is no fixed-rail mass transit system in Honolulu. However,
in 2004, the City & County of Honolulu and the State of Hawai‘i approved
development of an action plan for a fixed rail mass transit system to be
built in several phases. The initial line could link Kapolei in West O‘ahu
to Iwilei near Downtown Honolulu. Several attempts had been made since the
1980s and 1990s to construct a fixed rail mass transit system but stalled
during Honolulu City Council hearings.
Also in 2004, construction has also started on the new bus rapid transit
system using dedicated rights-of-way for buses. The system, proposed by
Mayor Jeremy Harris, is expected to link the Iwilei neighborhood with
Waikīkī. Objections have been made as to both projects' environmental impact
and high construction and maintenance costs.
Media
Honolulu is served by two daily newspapers: the Honolulu Advertiser and the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin. It is one of the few remaining cities of its size in
the U.S. to have more than one daily newspaper.
Honolulu is also served by 13 television stations (including all the major
U.S. television networks), 20 FM radio stations, and 17 AM radio stations.
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.
Tourist attractions
Pearl Harbor
Diamond Head
Waikīkī Beach
USS Arizona Memorial
USS Missouri
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Bishop Museum
Colleges & universities
University of Hawai‘i Mānoa – Students: 21,000 (Manoa Campus)2
Chaminade University – Students: 1,130; Tuition: $13,380/yr2
Hawai‘i Pacific University – Students: 8,500; Tuition: $10,922/yr2
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