Kailua, Oahu

Kailua at a Glance

Kailua is located on Oahu’s eastern coast, about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of downtown Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. It is one of the largest residential communities on this side of the island (after neighboring Kaneohe). Kailua’s population in the 2000 census was 36,513. Kailua has a central commercial district, located along Kailua Road. It is surrounded by mainly single-family homes.

Kailua’s main attraction is certainly its fantastic white-sand beach. Here you’ll find white, soft, powdery fine sand. It’s a beachlover’s dream, a typical tropical beach we all know from postcards. In fact, Kailua Beach has been repeatedly ranked among the best beaches in the world. In 1998, it was ranked as the #1 beach in the United States by coastal expert Dr. Stephen Leatherman.

The beach is about two miles (3.2 km) long and perfect for beach strolls. The ocean bottom slopes gently to overhead depths and there aren’t any coral heads here. So it’s a good beach for swimming, too. There are small to medium-high waves year-round, so bodyboarders, kayakers and surfers also like to come here. Because of the steady tradewinds year-round, Kailua Beach is also an ideal location for kite and windsurfers.

Kailua is also home to the largest wetland in the Hawaiian Islands – Kawai Nui Marsh. Located just south of Kailua Beach is the small community of Lanikai. It also has a wonderful beach that was rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world by Sherman’s Travel Magazine.

In the Hawaiian language, Kailua means "two seas," or "two currents." The word "kai" means sea or sea water, and the word "elua" means two. So Kailua is a contraction of these two words. The town was named Kailua because of the two lagoons in the district or the two currents that run through Kailua Bay.

Kailua encompasses 9.5 square miles (24.7 km²). The population density was 5,495.8 people per square mile (2,123.2/km²). The racial makeup was the following: 43.84% White, 0.76% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 21.11% Asian, 8.07% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races and 24.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 6.10% of the population.

The median income for a household was $72,784, and the median income for a family was $79,118. Males had a median income of $46,789, versus $35,612 for females. The per capita income was $29,299. About 5.4% of the population was below the poverty line.

Kailua in Bullet Points

Kailua’s main attraction is its fantastic white-sand beach, ideal for swimming, long beach strolls, kayaking, bodyboarding, kite and windsurfing
Home to the largest wetland in Hawaii – Kawai Nui Marsh
Central commercial district with shops, restaurants and other businesses

Kailua Location

Kailua is located on Oahu’s eastern coast, about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of downtown Honolulu.

Kailua Map (top)

Kailua Weather (top)

Now
75°F
Windchill:
75°F
Mostly Cloudy
Location: Kailua, HI, US
Wind: 12 mph NE
Humidity: 73%
Visibility: 0.07 mi
Pressure: 30.18 in steady
Sunrise: 6:44 am
Sunset: 6:38 pm Wed
Hi: 77°F
Low: 71°F
Scattered Showers
Thu
Hi: 77°F
Low: 71°F
Scattered Showers