Facts About Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is one of the most notorious desirable vacation spots in the country: a city that is warm, exotic and completely unlike anything else that can be found in the United States.

Name

Translated from the Hawaiian language, Honolulu means "sheltered bay."

Size and Location

The city and county of Honolulu encompasses 2,127 square miles. It is the most isolated place that supports a major population, being roughly 2,400 miles from California, its nearest neighbor.

Discovery

English Captain William Brown was the first European to set foot in Honolulu in 1794, but archaeologists have found that it was settled as early as the 12th century. The first inhabitants were most likely Polynesian.

Climate

Temperatures usually remain between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, with most of the rain coming in the winter months.

Arts

Honolulu is home to one of the oldest symphonies in the western United States: the Honolulu Symphony, formed in 1900. It's also home to the world's largest collection of Pacific artifacts, archaeological finds and items, all housed in the Bishop Museum.

Inhabitants

There are no minorities in the city of Honolulu. The racial makeup is so diverse that there is no overwhelming majority to speak of--there is a mix of Japanese-American, Chinese-American and Filipino-American, with Caucasians making up only approximately 30 percent of the population.

Geography

More than 100 unique and separate beaches surround Honolulu. The island it is on, Oahu, is also unique because it sits on top of what is the largest mountain range in the world--much of which is underwater.