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