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Honolulu – Kailua – Oahu
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Aloha! Welcome to Oahu!
 OAHU, “The Gathering Place,” is the third largest Hawaiian island and home to Honolulu, the state capitol. Honolulu was proclaimed the state capitol by King Kamehameha III in 1850 and began operating in 1905 as the County of Oahu before being renamed the City and County of Honolulu in 1907. It is the only American city founded by a monarch or ruler and is the site of the only palace in the United States.
The city and county of Honolulu encompasses all of Oahu and is governed by an elected mayor and nine city council members each representing a specific geographic district on the island. These districts are grouped together under larger regions commonly referred to as: Honolulu, East Oahu, Windward, North Shore, Leeward and Central. Within these regions are various towns, communities and neighborhoods each with their own distinctive characteristics.
According to the 2000 census Oahu had a population of 876,156, which at the time represented approximately 72  percent of the people of the state. The 2000 census also shows there was a total of 460,542 housing units in the state. The state’s median resale value for a single family home was $265,000 and $139,000 for a condominium.
When planning a trip around the island it can be useful to know that residents and the local media have a special language for indicating direction. For example, “mauka” is toward the mountains, “makai” is toward the sea, “Ewa” is in the direction of Ewa town, “Diamond Head” is toward that famous Waikiki landmark, and “Koko Head” is toward the location of that crater. Familiar phrases are, “passing showers in the windward mauka area” or “heavy traffic on the H-1 in the Ewa direction.”
The following are the main regions of Oahu and the neighborhoods each encompasses:
Honolulu Region:
Moanalua / Salt Lake District
Downtown / Nuuanu District
Ala Moana / Kakaako District
Makiki / Manoa District
Waikiki District
East Oahu Region:
Kaimuki District
Waialae / Kahala District
Hawaii Loa Ridge District
Hawaii Kai / Portlock District
Windward Region:
Kailua District
Kaneohe District
North Shore Region:
North Shore Region/District
Leeward Region:
Aiea / Pearlridge / Pearl City District
Waikele District
Ewa District
The City of Kapolei District
Villages of Kapolei District
Makakilo District
Ko Olina District
Central Region:
Royal Kunia District
Mililani District
| Hawaii is the 50th state of the United States, comprising a group of eight major islands and numerous islets in the central Pacific Ocean.
Area, 6,450 sq mi (16,706 sq km).
Pop. (2000) 1,211,537, a 9.3% increase since the 1990 census.
Capital and largest city, Honolulu.
Nickname, Aloha State.
Motto, Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono [The Life of the Land Is Perpetuated in Righteousness].
State bird, Hawaiian goose. 
State flower, hibiscus.
State tree, candlenut.
Geologically the youngest of the Hawaiian group, Hawaii is made up of three volcanic mountain masses rising from the floor of the Pacific OceanMauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai. Lava flows, some of which reach the sea, and volcanic ash cover parts of the island. The north and northeast coasts are rugged with high cliffs; the west and south coasts are generally low, with some good bathing beaches. An unusual black-sand beach lies on the southeast coast.
The Hawaiian Islands are of volcanic origin and are edged with coral reefs. Hawaii is the largest and geologically the youngest island of the group, and Oahu , where the capital, Honolulu , is located, is the most populous and economically important. The other principal islands are Kahoolawe , Kauai , Lanai , Maui , Molokai , and Niihau . The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, consisting of uninhabited islets and excluding Midway , stretch more than 1,100 mi (1,800 km) from Nihoa to Kure. Most of islets are encompassed in the Hawaiian Island National Wildlife Refuge; the surrounding waters and coral reefs are in the vast 84-million-acre (34-million-hectare) Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve. Palmyra atoll and Kingman Reef , which were within the boundaries of Hawaii when it was a U.S. territory, were excluded when statehood was achieved.
 Sugarcane and pineapples, grown chiefly on large company-owned plantations, are the major agricultural products and the basis of the islands' principal industry, food processing. Macadamia nuts, papayas, greenhouse vegetables, and coffee are also important. Other products include coffee, cattle, and dairy products. Commercial fishing, especially tuna, is also significant. Tourism is, however, the leading source of income, and defense installations, including Pearl Harbor, follow.
*Information from Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | | |